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DIYANKPO, Sinoe County \u2013 An unsolved boundary issue between two towns in Sinoe and Grand Kru Counties is stalling a clan\u2019s pursuit of a customary land deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diyankpo, a town in the Lower Bokon Clan in Jaedae District, Sinoe County, has a boundary dispute with Neeklakpo in Grand Kru County. Lower Bokon is pursuing a customary land deed but has seen its efforts stall due to the disputed area, approximately 8,000 hectares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe could not proceed with the survey. We had to put a halt to it, come to town, and see how we can resolve the conflict before going back in the field,\u201d says Dr. Mahmoud Solomon, the Acting Commissioner of the Land Authority\u2019s Department of Land Administration. Solomon says Diyankpo and Neeklakpo recognized two different boundaries that must be harmonized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDiyankpo one of the towns in Sinoe County is showing points that belong to their land that falls in Grand Kru. Neeklakpo is showing points in Sinoe County that belong to Grand Kru,\u201d Solomon adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Solomon discloses that the Land Authority engaged the Liberia Institute for Geo-Information Services (LIGIS), the National Election Commission and the National Legislature\u2014all of whom have county border data\u2014to resolve the dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Acts that created those counties will be able to show the boundary. Even though it will not be clearly defined it will give us an idea of the commencement and all those towns that fall within a particular clan,\u201d Solomon explains. He says the matter would be resolved soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018It was so difficult\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lower Bokon borders the Beah Clan along the Dugbe River. Beah Clan had recognized another boundary apart from the one both clans had recognized for generations. However, the Beah Clan later dropped its contention, ending the conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lower Bokon had another situation with Neejlah Clan resolved in an MoU last December. Both parties now agree a local hill is their boundary. They have decided to use the boundary for future surveys, and that residents who violate the MoU be called out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was so difficult in [resolving the boundary issues]. Other communities would say this is the boundary and other communities would disagree,\u201d recalls David Sonpon, the chairman of the Lower Bokon Community Land and Development Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome people, whenever you reach a boundary harmonization stage, they want to claim another side. That is the problem,\u201d adds Matthew Weseh, a mobilizer with the Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n FCI has worked with Lower Bokon since 2019. The NGO\u2019s work with the clan is part of a US$3.45 million project funded by the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility. The Margibi-based NGO also works in the same district as Gboyonnoh Karmbo<\/a>, which awaits the Land Authority to survey the clan\u2019s land area to get a deed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018There must be an agreement\u2019<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Home to over 5,000 people in the Jaedae District, Lower Bokon identified itself as a landowning community in 2019. In these five years, it has established a governance body, the Community Land Development and Management Committee (CLDMC). It has bylaws and a constitution, and mapped its 7,283-hectares land, according to FCI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The clan has a rich culture. Kru is the dominant language. There is a traditional council that is headed by a chair. The highest traditional person is the High Priest, who conducts the Poro Society or the school for men. The leader of the clan is the Clan Chief, while the heads of towns are the Town Chiefs. Beans cannot be planted on the clan\u2019s land, and no one builds a house or hut there with thatches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Road connectivity is a problem for the 13-town Lower Bokon Clan. Some of the communities\u2014such as Sunshine, Diyankpo, Sunday Village, and Konwonkpo\u2014are accessible by vehicle while Neponklee is by bike only. The roads to the rest of the communities are by walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stage.thedaylight.org\/wp68\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Lower-Bokon-.png\")
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