By Kemo Cham
Residents of Bonthe and land rights campaigners are calling on investors and the World Bank Group to suspend a planned voting on a possible funding for the Rutile miner, Sierra Rutile.
The company, which operates in the southern part of Sierra Leone where it runs one of the largest Rutile mines in the world, hopes to get a US$ 60 million loan when the board of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank, meets and votes for a decision later this year.
The funding is part of efforts by the miner to expand its operations.
The IFC Board in fact suspended its vote initially scheduled for April 30, the same day this appeal from the community people was first made. According to sources, the international lender has put the voting on an indefinite suspension.
The campaigners want the investors to ensure the company follows all procedures in line with IFC’s standards.
The Sierra Rutile project entails expansion of its main Gangama Plant, which is located in the relocated community of Gangama in the Imperi Chiefdom. The plant which was originally constructed in 2016 is expected to double its capacity to between 1,000 and 1,200t/h at the project's completion later this year, according to a report in the Mining Magazine, published last year.
The project also includes the expansion of the Lanti front end circuit and the refurbishment of the Lanti floating concentrator.
In a joint statement released on behalf of the community people, the campaign groups Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) and Advocates for Community Alternative (ACA) called on investors to think twice before putting their money into the project, citing failure of the company to properly consult with the community and long-standing social and environmental issues that affect their lives and livelihood.
NMJD, a Sierra Leone-based rights campaign group, said it conducted a community-based impact study on the company’s operations which led to “damning” revelations, including loss of land, destruction of water sources, damage to cultural heritage and abusive relocation conditions.
The organization said it found out that women who used to feed their families by keeping backyard gardens had now lost their ability due to “inadequate” resettlement packages, adding that farmers could no longer farm because their land had been taken away from them with no proper plan to ensure sustainability of their livelihoods.
Sierra Rutile Limited, formerly a subsidiary of the British-owned Titanium Resources Group, was acquired by the Australian sand miner Illuka in 2016 as part of a major takeover involving £ 215 million.
Sierra Rutile primarily holds leases for mining rutile in Sierra Leone since its formation in the 1970s. These leases cover a land area of 580 km2, comprising some 19 identified deposits.
The company’s concessions presently span five chiefdoms in two districts: Imperi and Jong chiefdoms in Bothe; Lower Banta, Upper Banta and Bagruwa chiefdoms in Moyamba.
Gbassay Ali, Town Chief of Mottinga in Lower Banta Chiefdom, narrates how the company’s activities have polluted their streams and wells and created an artificial river that endangers the population and livestock in his community.
“They forced us to move from our farmlands to a place that’s so barren we call it “the Desert,” Mr Ali is quoted saying.
The campaigners say very few people knew about the planned expansion of Sierra Rutile or the pending vote by the IFC to provide the funding. They say only a handful of the elite are being invited to meetings and presented with the project as a “fait accompli.”
Approving the loan, says NMJD’s Executive Director Abu Brima, means that the IFC Board will have to consider the expansion project without the benefit of a social and environmental impact assessment.
“This lack of consultation and transparency violates the IFC’s Performance Standards,” Mr Brima says.
“Supposedly, the IFC requires information disclosure, good faith negotiation, and broad community support to underpin all its investments,” he adds.
Sierra Rutile would not respond up to when we went to press last night, saying they were trying to get in touch with their office in Perth, Australia.
© 2019 Politico Online
