The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) on Wednesday 19th March 2025 conducted a Mini Public Hearing on corporate social responsibility (CSR)in a village known as Mosavie Community in Mattru Jong, Bonthe District following a fallout between a mining company known as FOISON Mining Company and the community people in relation to promises made to the people by the said company which the people say have not been fulfilled.
The team from the Commission led by the Vice Chairperson, Victor Idrissa Lansana Esq upon arrival in Mattru first engaged the Paramount Chief (PC), Alhaji AB Sheriff and his council of chiefs as the local leaders to hear their perspective on the stalemate between the community and the company. The PC disclosed that FOISON took over Sierra Rutile for just over 7 months ago and had offered to give as gesture to the community the sum of NLe500,000 in order to construct a health centre even before the company could start operations. The said sum is yet to be disbursed but that the company is ready at any time to disburse into a dedicated account held by the community once a transfer request is made.
The PC also informed the team that the people have been making other demands for roads, water wells, school etc but that the company has not yet met those demands since it is a new company. He said some community members decided to use the Poro Society to scared off the Chinese people at the company site and attacked the company, stole huge sums of money and some company property. The police had to come in to restore calm and did some arrest, the Paramount Chief concluded.
The team then proceeded to the village where they met with a host of community people over 200 of them including the town chief, women’s leader, the youth leader, representatives of landowning families etc. At this stage the Commission decided to hold a Mini Public Hearing to allow the anxious community people to vent their concerns over the issue. The people, led by their town chief disclosed that FOISON company had promised them the following: health centre, roads, water wells, electricity and scholarships for their children. They said that these promises have not been fulfilled by the company and that the community remains deprived especially with non-availability of drinking water.
They further revealed that their land was first taken and utilized by Sierra Rutile for 27 years without any development or compensation to the people and that now FOISON has taken over with signs of the same underdevelopment as the last 27years under Sierra Rutile. The people claimed that they have never seen any mining concession licence with FOISON to do mining on their land.
They recalled that on the 21st February 2025 police and military officers raided their village and arrested and detained their men on allegations of robbery at the company’s premises following a display event of the male society (Poro). A formal/written complaint against FOISON was handed over to the team from the landowning families requesting the Commission to intervene and help solve their concerns.
In addition to previous engagements with the Bo regional police division made by HRCSL’s southern regional office, the Vice Chairperson and team moved down to Bo and engaged the resident judge, Justice Francis Banks Kamara, J. and the Magistrate, Landonet Macauley to explore possibility of admitting to bail the accused persons whom we learned had already spent about one month in police custody before being charged to court.
Senior Management of FOISON Mining Company where not available to be engaged at its operational site but the Commission has written a letter to summon them in a bid to hear their own side of the story and help resolve the critical issues in respect of this matter.
Credit – HRCSL Communications Team