After population protests in Edea:  Gov’t wades into land dispute over SOCAPALM's replantation campaign.

Government, through the Ministry of Territory Administration, MINAT, dispatched a two-man delegation to gage the concerns of the locals.

The delegation on a fact-finding mission met with community leaders of the four concerned villages; Apouh, Dehane, Ongue and Koukoue. The meeting, initially announced for Apouh village, finally held in Edea town.

After several hours of exchanges behind closed doors, Mikangué Marie-Claire from Dehane village, said the discussions with the delegation from MINAT, were held in a frank and serene atmosphere with a satisfactory conclusion. 

“The purpose was that they told us they had come to investigate because, in view of the complaints and statements coming from both sides, they wanted to hear everyone's opinions,” she said, adding that “the delegation listened attentively to our pleas and our distress call”. 

She admitted that their meeting with the MINAT delegation comes after similar factfinding missions with local authorities and SOCAPALM administration. 

Going back to their grievances, Mikangué said they are reclaiming their ancestral land which SOCAPALM has occupied with received land titles. 

Stating that the President of the Republic, Paul Biya, had placed women and young people at the heart of his new seven-year term, Mikangué implored government to match this vision of the President by addressing their demands. 

“I am once again crying out in distress for President Paul Biya to instruct his ministers to ensure that justice is done in our locality,” she begged. 

According the community leader, they have no space to cultivate and expand habitation on.

“We have no space for our children to plant crops. He asked young people to return to the village, saying that the land does not deceive. But why are our young people not entitled to land? Where are they going to farm on...?” she questioned.

She vowed to use her last energy to fight for their ancestral land even if she has to pay the ultimate price for her children.

“They realised the seriousness of the problem”

Rev Dikelel Marius, a villager and community leader of Apouh village, intimated that the representatives came with preconceive ideas about the issues at stake, but after discussing with the population, had a better understanding of land disputes.

“In fact, they came with another idea, but after consulting a document and listening to the people, they realised the seriousness of the problem,” she added. 

Rev Dikelel said they are leaving the meeting satisfied with the level of frank exchanges, hoping that the reports to hierarchy will be faithfully rendered.

He then traced the issues to an important document from the Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure, MINDCAF, which made strong recommendations after field missions to the disputed areas.

“This document is from MINDCAF, which conducted a field visit and made recommendations. So, if there is a problem today, it is that these recommendations are struggling to be put into practice,” he narrated to the press.

“So, in this investigation carried out by MINDCAF, and others, it appears that SOCAPALM has exceeded its limits by more than a hundred hectares, and not only that, there is an area known as 2009, which is not an excess, it is not even titled. They arrived in 2009 and drove the people away. They promised compensation, which they have not paid to date. So, today's call is for habitable space. They must put an end to this, because the people are suffering. They are asking for nothing more than habitable land,” he explained.

“So, when we talk about SOCAPALM, SOCAPALM in turns points the finger at the government. And I am now telling the government that because you are being indexed, do something to resolve this crisis,” he stressed, pointing out that the populations asking are not asking for money, or anything else but plots of land to live on.

With the villages surrounded by palm trees on all sides, Rev Dikelel said their children and grandchildren may not have space to build their house on.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3693 of Wednesday February 04, 2026