By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Amid mounting frustration and growing public concern, the unresolved land rights dispute in Kasafoni continues to spotlight the sluggish pace of justice in Sierra Leone. What began as a lease agreement between local landowners and the Gento Group of Companies has evolved into a broader confrontation over customary land rights, Government accountability and equitable resource distribution. Despite the gravity of the matter, progress has been disappointingly slow, raising serious questions about the Government’s resolve to uphold the rights of its citizens.
At the center of the controversy are the people and traditional authorities from the Dansogoia, Sambaia and Diang Chiefdoms, who have consistently expressed dissatisfaction with what they view as a dismissive Government response to their legitimate concerns. Their grievances stem not only from the lease itself but from the lack of transparency and inclusion in negotiations that affect their ancestral lands.
Fueling further suspicion was the recent revelation that Minister of Finance, Ahmed Sheku Fantamadi Bangura, led a delegation to China and reportedly secured $300 million for the exploitation of Kasafoni’s iron ore deposits. The details of that agreement, however, remain undisclosed. To date, neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Presidency has publicly addressed how the funds will be allocated or whether the communities directly impacted by the extraction will receive any benefit. This information blackout has only deepened public distrust.
Equally troubling is the Government’s attempt to halt an investigation by the Parliamentary Public Petition Committee into the Kasafoni land dispute. Following a formal petition submitted by chiefdom authorities on June 23, 2025, outlining serious contradictions between the Government’s actions and the protective clauses in the Customary Land Rights Act of 2022 and the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2022, the Committee convened once only to be instructed by the Chief Minister’s Office to pause its work.
Why has the Government stalled a critical investigation into what many see as a potential violation of human rights and local land ownership laws?
The Government’s acknowledgment of the lease agreement between the Gento Group and Kasafoni landowners was initially seen as a welcome move toward recognizing customary land rights. But that recognition now seems hollow, as efforts to ensure accountability and justice are met with bureaucratic roadblocks.
Local authorities have openly rejected claims made by the Sierra Leone Mines and Minerals Development and Management Corporation (SLMMDC) and the Ministry of Information and Civic Education (MoICE) regarding ownership and leasing rights. According to them, those assertions directly undermine legal provisions designed to protect indigenous landowners and validate communal rights. Their firm stance underscores a deeper struggle; one between traditional systems of governance and state institutions increasingly seen as enablers of corporate exploitation.
President Julius Maada Bio has made strong statements in the past condemning illegal land acquisition and promising to uphold the rights of landowners. At a recent public engagement, he denounced Government officials who abuse their positions for personal enrichment through land deals. Yet, such pronouncements ring hollow when not matched by tangible action. In Kasafoni, his Government’s inaction may soon cast a shadow over its entire land reform agenda.
Observers argue that this case presents a defining moment for Sierra Leone’s democratic and governance credentials. At stake is not just a piece of land but the broader issue of whether marginalized communities can trust state institutions to protect their rights. If the current administration genuinely intends to dismantle the legacy of land exploitation and abuse, then it must treat the Kasafoni case as a national priority.
Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, has begun facilitating stakeholder dialogue, a step in the right direction. However, progress has been minimal and without concrete outcomes, the initiative risks being perceived as yet another public relations effort. A high-level meeting involving all stakeholders, including the Gento Group, the affected communities and relevant Government agencies is expected soon, but the success of such an engagement will depend entirely on the Government’s willingness to act decisively.
Civil Society groups, legal analysts and concerned citizens are calling for immediate transparency in all dealings related to Kasafoni. The public deserves to know the content of agreements made in their name, especially when these involve massive financial inflows and natural resource exploitation. A comprehensive and publicly available report detailing all agreements and their expected community benefits would go a long way toward rebuilding trust.
In truth, Sierra Leone stands at a crossroads. The Kasafoni dispute is no longer just about a contested lease; it is about whether justice can truly reach the grassroots in a country still healing from historical inequalities. The Government must understand that delays in addressing such matters are not just administrative lapses ,they represent the denial of justice to entire communities whose lives and livelihoods are intertwined with the land.
If the Bio administration hopes to be remembered for meaningful reform, it must act with urgency. The people of Dansogoia, Sambaia and Diang Chiefdoms are not demanding special favors; they are demanding justice, fairness and respect for the law.
It is time for the Government to rise to the occasion. The people are watching and history will judge accordingly.
