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Mali: the right to food of 30 peasant families jeopardized in N'Tabacoro

Beginning of Action: 22-02-2010 - End of Action: 15-04-2010

Dozens of families on the outskirts of Bamako, the capital of Mali, are under threat of being evicted from their lands by the Government in favour of a housing project. The cultivation ban, ordered in July 2009, jeopardizes their right to adequate food. Moreover, if the eviction is realized, it will hinder the ability of the families to feed themselves in the long run. They already belong to the most vulnerable in Mali. The Government acted without prior consultation with the affected individuals and has not taken steps towards compensation or resettlement, which is in breach of human rights obligations.
On the 19th of January 2010, FIAN sent an urgent open letter to the authorities to stop the invasion of the plots by the bulldozers. Nevertheless, an international action to support the victims is necessary. Please write to the President of the Republic, to the Minister of Housing and to the President of the Supreme Court to forward the demands of the N'Tabacoro families.

Background

The Malian Government announced in February 2009 its plan to build social housing in N'Tabacoro, Kalabancoro, on the outskirts of Bamako, the capital of Mali. This project involves the construction of thousands of accommodations for leasing. An eviction decree (n° 09-190/P-RM) was signed on the 14th of May, 2009. Another one from the 3rd of June, 2009 created the Land Title n°40.395, owned by the State. The property of the land has thus been transferred to the State without prior and fair compensation. The eviction particularly affects 30 peasant families (about 1000 people), who have been living on this land for generations. The families depend on their traditional lands economically, socially and culturally. In 1978, an effort of registration and titling of these lands was undertaken. The peasants were then given a letter of attribution, which constitutes a provisory ownership title. In most cases, the promised formal title has never been delivered. The affected families own between 2 and 5 hectares and have to feed between 15 and 50 persons each. In the 1970s, other families moved to the area. The latter do not live solely out of agriculture, but most of them cultivate food for the local markets. Neither they nor the 30 peasant families have been awarded adequate consultation, compensation, or alternative solution, which is a breach of international standards and obligations. On the ground, the private constructors already lay the first stones despite the lack of a final agreement on the dispute. Faced with this situation, the victims created 'l'Association des propriétaires de parcelles et des concessions rurales de N'Tabacoro' (APPCR) in June 2009. The APPCR filed a complaint against the State before a court on the 20th of July 2009, arguing the non-respect of the Land Code (code domanial). It was only following this legal claim that the Government accepted to hold a roundtable in July 2009. A commission in charge of the counting, delimitation and evaluation of the plots started its work in October 2009. Nevertheless, the inhabitants and the Government still disagree on the plots concerned by the eviction. No compensation or alternative solution has been offered yet. The food situation is alarming for the peasants, who were forbidden to cultivate in June 2009, in the middle of the rainy season. Some of them hesitated and planted too late, and did not harvest enough to feed their families. Others did not plant at all. All are forced to use various survival strategies. Most of the men of the affected families have to work as daily workers. Some of the families have to borrow money from their relatives, while others sell the water from their wells.

Mandate

Mali is a State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, as well as to the African Charter for Human and Peoples' Rights, and the country has the obligation according to international and regional law to respect the right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to food and to water, as well as the right to housing of people living in N'Tabacoro. The right to adequate food involves the respect of the existing access to the means to feed oneself, as well as the access to resources necessary to produce food.

FIAN Urgent Action 1001UMAL

Original Letter:

Votre Excellence,

J'ai récemment été informé(e) de la situation de plusieurs dizaines de familles de cultivateurs menacées d'expulsion forcée à N´Tabacoro, cercle de Kati, en vertu du décret no09/190-P-RM du 04 mai 2009. Ces familles, qui comptent déjà parmi les plus vulnérables, sont dépendantes de leur accès à ces terres pour la jouissance de leur droit de l´Homme à une alimentation adéquate. Or, non seulement ces groupes de cultivateurs ne bénéficient pas du soutien des politiques agricoles publiques, mais en plus leur accès aux moyens de se nourrir est aujourd´hui menacé. En effet, aucune enquête ni consultation préalable avec les personnes affectées n'a été réalisée, en violation de normes nationales et internationales. En outre, aucune solution de dédommagement et de remplacement n'a été prévue par l'Etat. Malgré la saisine des tribunaux nationaux, les personnes concernées restent dans l´incertitude quant à leur capacité immédiate et future de se nourrir eux et leurs familles.

Et ce d'autant plus que depuis le 12 juin 2009, en pleine saison des pluies, les cultivateurs concernés se sont vus interdire toute culture. Cette interdiction, qui survient sans discussion ni négociation avec les paysans, a rendu l'accès à l'alimentation d'une trentaine de familles extrêmement difficile. Sans alternative effective, la majorité a recours à des stratégies de survie telles que les emplois journaliers ou l´endettement.

En tant qu'Etat partie au Pacte international relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels, et à la Charte africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples, le Mali a l'obligation de respecter et de donner effet au droit à une alimentation adéquate, en particulier pour les individus vulnérables. Aussi, je vous exhorte :
- à faire cesser immédiatement les travaux, conformément au droit national et international ;
- à respecter le droit à une alimentation adéquate des cultivateurs et ainsi leur accès à leurs terres traditionnelles ;
- à agir au plus vite pour assurer aux personnes affectées une sécurité d'accès à la terre et son exploitation, en particulier pour les personnes dont c'est le principal moyen de survie ;
- à respecter, si vous deviez procéder à l'expulsion, les normes et procédures prescrites par le droit national et international, ce qui implique notamment une véritable consultation des personnes affectées, l'accès à des recours, une indemnisation adéquate, et une offre de relogement adéquat ;
- à apporter un soutien actif aux familles de cultivateurs traditionnels qui sont à la fois les premières victimes de l´insécurité alimentaire mais aussi des acteurs clé de toute stratégie nationale en faveur d´une meilleure sécurité alimentaire.

Je vous serais reconnaissant(e) de m´informer des mesures que vous comptez prendre.

Veuillez agréer, Votre Excellence, l'expression de ma très haute considération.

Translated Letter:

Open translated letter Open translated Letter
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Your Excellency,

I was recently informed of the situation of dozens of peasant families threatened with eviction in N'Tabacoro, Kati, under Decree no. 09/190-P-RM of 4th of May 2009. These families, who are already among the most vulnerable, are dependent on the access to their traditional lands for the enjoyment of their human right to adequate food. No investigation or prior consultation with the affected people has been conducted, in violation of national and international standards. Moreover, no solution for compensation and resettlement has been provided by the state. Despite the complaint lodged before the court, those affected remain uncertain about their immediate and future ability to feed themselves and their families. This is all the more true as the peasants concerned were prohibited from cultivating in the midst of the rainy season. Ordered without consultation, the ban has made the access to food for about thirty families extremely difficult. Without alternative, the majority of the people have to rely on survival strategies such as occasional jobs and debts.

As a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, Mali has the obligation to respect and fulfil the right to adequate food, particularly for vulnerable individuals. Therefore, I urge you:
- to immediately stop the works, in accordance with national and international law;
- to respect the right to adequate food of the peasants and their access to their traditional lands;
- to act quickly to ensure to those affected a secured access to land and its tenure, especially to those whose livelihood depends on this access;
- to respect, if you were to process to the eviction, standards and procedures prescribed by national and international law, which imply an effective consultation with the individuals affected, an access to remedies, an adequate compensation and a proposal for an adequate resettlement;
- to provide active support to the families of peasants who are both the primary victims of food insecurity and the key players in any national strategy for improving food security.


I would appreciate if you could inform me about the measures you will take.

Yours sincerely,


Recipients:

Son Excellence Amadou Toumani Touré
Président de la République du Mali (presidence@koulouba.pr.ml)
Mme le Ministre Gakou Salimata Fofana
Ministère du Logement des Affaires Foncières et de l'Urbanisme (fhatous_2006@yahoo.fr )
Mme DIALLO Kaïta KAYENTAO
Présidente de la Cour Suprême