By Ralph Sesay in Lunsar
The Northern town of Lunsar which hosts Marampa Mines is on a time bomb prompting state authorities and local government officials to raise eye-brow.
Office of National Security, a government institution that coordinates the country’s security, should carefully monitor developments in the community.
Reports from Lunsar has indicated that the Local Unit Commander (LUC), Gibril Mohamed Turay has prevented the SL Mining Community relations Team (CRT) from engaging land owners in 19 villages.
The villages are part of the SL Mining north and southern extensions of its mining concessions. The engagement, the CRT said, were to pay the land owners outstanding surface of 2029 as provided by law.
SL Mining is a subsidiary of Gerald international Group that has entered into a 25-yr contract with Sierra Leone government to mine the Marampa iron ore.
LUC Turay vehemently refused the secretary-general of the Land Owners association and SL Mining Police clearance to hold a meeting.
The police clearance denial is based on the cancellation SL Mining contract.
The meeting, LUC Turay, said was “illegal” and that SL Mining has got no authority to engage with any of their sub-contractors or third party agents.
What has come out very clearly is that the Police have failed to take into consideration that the land holding families are entitled to their annual surface rents paid, most times, March.
The refusal of police clearance, many say, portray the Police jittery owing to security threats the meetings pose considering the bad blood between the iron ore miner and the government.
Government and the Sierra Leone Police should devise strategies to ensure that the land holding families are paid what they deserve.
SL Mining and the government are in three separate international tribunals regarding the termination of SL Mining 25-yr contract entered into with the past government.
Sierra Leoneans seem worried at the outcome of the tribunals in US and UK as they closely follow developments between the two parties. Many blame government for jumping the gun by taking measures deemed inimical to international justice.
The 19 land holding families and its dependents have rights to their surface rent. It is a human right issue, and therefore, illegal for government to prevent SL Mining from paying these communities.
The CRT based in Sierra Leone has maintained that the proposed Sunday meeting of 16th February was a direct response to government policy of payments and settlements of debts in Leones and dollars by foreign and local businesses. “We were paying the surface rents in dollars instead of Leones. Now, the government says we should pay in Leones,” CRT official said. “It is necessary that we hold discussions with the mining communities to ensure smooth payments,” the CRT emphasised.