Nasako Besingi is a Cameroonian environmental activist and farmer. He is the Director of the NGO Struggle to Economize our Future Environment (SEFE) located in Mundemba in the Southwest Region, Cameroon.[1]
Nasako Besingi | |
|---|---|
| Position held | director  |
Activism and arrests
editNasako Besingi has led several protests against the development of palm oil plantations by the Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), a local subsidiary of the New York-based agribusiness company Herakles Farms threatening to destroy an area of rainforest.[2] The SGSOC had acquired a 73,086-hectare site on a 99-year land-lease deal through an agreement with the Cameroonian government to develop an industrial palm oil plantation and refinery.[3]
Nasako Besingi was arrested several times for opposing the project.
On November 14, 2012, he was arrested along with four of his collaborators at the premises of SEFE in Mundemba, where a group of over 50 community members were prepared for a peaceful campaign against the company Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC).[4]
In 2012, he was attacked by a group of people while serving as a guide to a team of television journalists making a documentary about the conflicts between Herakles Farms Company (SGSOC) and communities of the Mundemba. He wrote a report about the incident and was sued for defamation by the company. On 3 November 2015, he was sentenced to pay either pay a fine of 1 million CFA Francs or serve 3 years prison term.[5][6]
He was again arrested on 25 September 2017 in the headquarters of his NGO in Mundemba by a large group of police.[7][8] His passport, documents, phones and computers were seized.[9] He was charged for and charged with insurrection and terrorism.[10] He was detained in jail for two months. On 27 November 2017, the Examining Military Judge in Buea, Cameroon dropped all charges against him and signed the release order.[10][11]
Awards
edit- 2012: TAIGO non-state actor award by the Citizens Governance Initiatives[12]
References
edit- ^ AFP (26 September 2017). "Arrestation d'un défenseur de l'environnement au Cameroun" [Arrest of an environmental defender in Cameroon]. Voice of America (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Besingi, Nasako (2013-02-22). "Land Grabbing Looms: New Palm Oil Plantation Threatens Cameroon's Rainforest". HuffPost. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Campaigners oppose industrial palm oil plantation". The New Humanitarian. Yaoundé. 2012-12-14. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ "Arbitrary arrest of and judicial harassment against Mr. Nasako Besingi and four SEFE collaborators". OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture). 29 November 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Akana, David (2015-11-04). "Environmentalist sentenced in Cameroon". Earth Journalism Network. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Fokwen, Maxcel (20 November 2015). "Activist Granted FCFA 1.2-million Bail Over Herakles Case". Cameroon Postline. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Polle, Benjamin (26 September 2017). "Cameroun : arrestation du militant écologiste Nasako Besingi en zone anglophone" [Cameroon: arrest of environmental activist Nasako Besingi in the English-speaking area]. Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Scholfield, Katy (2017-09-26). "Cameroonian Environmental Activist arrested". Synchronicity Earth. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ Watts, Jonathan (2017-09-29). "Cameroon palm oil campaigner arrested in crackdown on activists". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- ^ a b Berrih, Carole; Toko, Nestor (2019). Sentenced to oblivion fact-finding mission on death row/ Cameroon (PDF). Paris: ECPM: Ensemble contre la peine de mort (Together Against the Death Penalty). p. 52. ISBN 978-2-95522-646-9.
- ^ "Cameroon - Nasako Besingi released and charges dropped". Front Line Defenders. 2017-11-27. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Philips, Alexa; Williams, Laila Sapphira; Yallop, Alex (2012-12-20). "Challenging year ends in hope for Cameroonian environmental activist". Greenpeace USA. Retrieved 2023-05-03.