Febna Caven

The following editorial by Samuel Nguiffo was published in Al Jazeera on April 14^th.

Samuel Nguiffo is the Secretary General of the Centre for Environment and Development (CED), Cameroon, and a recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1999.  He is currently being sued by the government of Cameroon for tarnishing the state's reputation when he advocated against an oil palm plantation concession.

Cultural Survival is accompanied by Greenpeace and dozens of other organizations in calling for Herakles Farms to own up to their abuses in Cameroon. Read the following release by Greenpeace on their new report- "Herakles: A showcase in bad palm oil production" and video (below), and take action by writing to Herakles directly. 

Nasako Besingi, the director of Struggle to Economise Future Environment (SEFE), one of our coalition partners on the ground in Cameroon, was arrested November 14th along with five others in the town of Mundemba, Cameroon.

Local and international pressure was successful in releasing the activists after being held for two days with no charge.

Two local protests broke out in the Southwest region of Cameroon this summer in opposition to the New York based company Herakles’ Farms, who have already planted nurseries for their proposed palm oil plantation.  

In the village of Fabe, one of the communities hosting a nursery, a revolt was staged against the company.  Protestors blocked the entrance to the nursery, telling workers that they had put a curse on the seedlings, scaring off all the workers.