Decades long dispute comes to an end in Grand Bassa County

As communities signed MOU

By Foundation for Community Initiatives – FCI On Jul 8, 2024

Chief Elder of Marblee Clan signs MOU on behalf of community

Grand Bassa – A longstanding land disputes that existed between the communities of Marblee and Karblee Clans has come to a close in Kor’s Town, Marblee Clan as communities along the boundary sign a memorandum of understanding.

Marblee and Karblee Clans are located in District #2, Grand Bassa County and has an approximate of 37,163 hectares and 20,438 hectares of land. Of the total land, 2,057 hectares of land that lies on the boundary with Marblee and Karblee was disputed.

The Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI) with support from the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) held a one-day consultative meeting on July 8, 2024 in Kor’s Town to mediate the dispute. Attending the meetings were paramount chiefs, clan chiefs, town chiefs, community land development and management committee (CLDMC) and community representatives.

View of participants attending consultative meeting

The meeting brought together 15 towns from Karblee Clan and Marblee Clan in Grand Bassa County to finalize on long standing land boundary disputes between towns on the boundary with these two clans. Approximately 110 community members attended the meeting.

At the close of the meeting, land boundary disputes were settled and boundary MOU were signed between communities of Marblee and Karblee clans in the presence of the Paramount Chief, Clan Chiefs and local media. The signing of these land boundary MOUs paves the way for the kickoff of confirmatory survey in these two clans.

The Project Coordinator of FCI, Alexander T. Cole, Sr. explain that the Foundation for Community Initiatives – FCI is working tirelessly to keep promises made to communities back in 2020. He added that under Phase I of The Tenure Facility funded project titled “Protection of Customary Community Collective Land Rights (P3CL)”, FCI worked with 8 communities in Sinoe and Grand Bassa Counties to secure their rights to customary land.

“In 2023, with additional funding from The Tenure Facility, these communities land are being survey and deeds will be issue at the end of the surveys. A total of approximately 128,547 hectares of land will be secure in Grand Bassa and Sinoe counties benefiting a population of about 48,135″.