By Kemo Kanyi
Six youths including the VDC chairman, Bubacarr Sowe, of Manduar were arrested by the Police Intervention Unit over the weekend for involvement in land disputes by trying to stop developers from making any development in the area they claimed had been part of their forest cover.
“On Saturday, March 30 2024 the Manduar Village Development Committee (VDC) representatives and the youth decided to patrol the forest only to discover that in the middle of the forest, some plots of land were already sold and a very serious afforestation were caused including the forest trees planted by village development committee and youths of Manduar village,” the chairman told reporters before his detention at Madina Police station.
The youth are expected to be released on Monday as the Police command wouldn’t want to exceed the constitutional mandate of 72-hour detention.
These youth accused the Alkalolu of Manduar and Marakissa of encroaching into their forest, selling out plots of land from the forest cover.
In a document seen by this reporter, four communities of Kombo Manduar, Bakary Sambouya, Penyem, and Marakissa villages were the neighboring community whose heads (Alkalolu) signed in acknowledgment of community forest of Manduar Village (koto -Balli forest) and has been filled in the year 1999 respectively. This acknowledgment was endorsed by the District head Kombo Central, Brikama Town Seyfo, Bakary D.S Bojangon 22/10/99 signed and stamped.
However, Mr Seedy Dem, Alkalo of Marakissa Fula Kunda, said the land being claimed as part of the forest is not part of the forest.
He continued: “That land belongs to Marakissa Fula Kundainherited by us through our fathers and not part of the community forest.
“The people of Manduar village had sold their land, and they want to encroach on our land,” he accused.