A violent attack on a tea plantation leased by Indian-owned Verdanta Harvest Plc, a subsidiary of the Noida-based Lucky Group, has renewed concerns over Ethiopia’s policy of leasing out large tracts of land to international investors. On October 20, unidentified individuals destroyed buildings and machinery worth approximately $140,000...Community leaders in Gambella did not comment on the attack, but rights groups have warned that a policy of leasing out 42 per cent of Gambella’s land and resettling over 30,000 agro-pastoral communities is the likely cause of the unrest...More than half the land deals, worth an estimated 3,65,000 hectares, have since fallen through due to disagreements among investors, communities and the various levels of government...The attack comes after nearly three years of discord with local officials and some sections of the community...“We met the local officials and found their expectations were a little too high...” said Manojeet Barkataky, General Manager for Verdanta Harvests...