"Guinea risks 'conflict and confusion' with mining eviction policy", 21 March 2019

Guinea has attracted international mining firms, fuelling anger among locals who say they are evicted without fair consultation or compensation. Civil society groups rejected Guinea's first policy seeking to protect people displaced by mines and dams on Thursday, saying it would worsen poverty and conflict in the mineral-rich nation...[They]...asked the government not to adopt the proposed national standards for relocating and compensating displaced communities, and to spend the next six months consulting with local people instead. "If the document is adopted like this, it means the problem will never be resolved," said Mamady Koivogui, executive director of the Association for Mines Without Poverty..."The essential aspects that would prevent people from falling into poverty...are not addressed in detail. This document will only create more conflict and confusion."...

Few rural Guineans have legally registered ownership of their property and mining companies therefore often maintain that rural lands are state property, Human Rights Watch says. "Since we don't have a law at the moment, the mining companies apply whatever policy," said Cece Noramou, a senior official in the mining ministry and..."This (policy) will not prevent displacement, but it will allow the people who are displaced to have rights that are at an international standard," he told...

The document lays out steps including consultation with local people prior to land acquisition and their right to appeal at multiple stages, said Noramou, adding that members of affected communities contributed to its development. But civil society groups said they identified over 20 gaps or problems with the text...Nearly 100,000 Guineans risk being displaced by mines, roads, hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure projects that are planned or underway, they said.