Herakles Farms

Press Releases & Public Statements

Public Statement
Nasako Besingi Released and All Charges Dropped!
It is with a sense of immense relief that we share this great news with you today. On 27 November 2017, the Examining Military Judge in Buea, Cameroon, officially dropped all charges and signed the release order for Nasako Besingi, who was subsequently released following over two months in detention.
Public Statement
US Government Support to Herakles Farms Project in Cameroon
Herakles Farms: Civil society letter to President Paul Biya, following the release of cables that show that US bullied Cameroon into approving the palm oil project.
Public Statement
US State Department Support to Herakles Farms Project in Cameroon
Herakles Farms: Civil society letter to US State Department, following release of cables showing US bullied Cameroon into approving palm oil project.
Press Release
Herakles Farms: US Government Bullied Cameroon into Land Grab Lease
Oakland, CA—As the Cameroonian government decides whether or not to extend Herakles Farms’ lease for a palm oil plantation this November, a new report by the Oakland Institute reveals how bullying by US government officials may have played a critical role in the initial granting of nearly 20,000 ha in 2013, instead of the cancellation of a clearly flawed project. Herakles Farms made international headlines in 2012 when the company embarked on a plan to deforest over 73,000 ha of pristine rainforest to create a palm oil plantation in southwest Cameroon.

News Articles

Mongabay
Cables reveal US gov’t role in Herakles Farms land grab in Cameroon
Mike GaworeckiCables obtained by the non-profit Oakland Institute through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that U.S. government officials pushed the Central African nation of Cameroon to approve a deeply controversial oil palm development owned by Herakles Farms despite full knowledge of the project’s negative impacts on the environment and local communities. Sithe Global Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SG-SOC), a subsidiary of U.S.
Jeune Afrique
Quand Washington Défendait son Champion des Palmiers à Huile au Cameroun
Plusieurs câbles diplomatiques datés de 2013 du département d'État américain, obtenus par le groupe de recherche américain Oakland Institute, montrent les rouages de la diplomatie économique de Washington, venue à la rescousse d'Herakles Farms, dont les activités d'exploitation de palmiers à huile dans le sud-ouest du Cameroun ont suscité des polémiques.
Mongabay
'This is Not Empty Forest': Africa's Palm Oil Surge Builds in Cameroon
John C. CannonThis is the first part of a series on palm oil in Cameroon. The next will follow shortly and will be linked here when published. Tucked amongst the hilltops of Yaoundé are the signs of a country and an economy on the move. Cameroonians fill high-end grocery stores, bars and restaurants, often spilling out onto the street in the capital city streets to watch the traffic and people pass, by while enjoying the tropical capital’s surprisingly temperate weather with a glass of beer and a grilled fish.
IPS
Em Nome do Desenvolvimento, Povos e Ecossistemas São Arrasados
Paris, França e Oakland, Estados Unidos, maio/2015 – Nosso compromisso a favor do acesso e controle dos recursos naturais, no Greenpeace e no Oakland Institute, faz com que nos acusem constantemente de atuar contra o desenvolvimento, ou que nos tachem de “organizações do primeiro mundo que se ocupam mais com árvores do que com seres humanos”, apesar de trabalharmos com comunidades em todo o mundo, da China a Camarões ou República Checa.Esse tipo de acusação – uma tentativa de desacreditar as lutas pela preservação da terra, da água e de outros recursos naturais dos países do terceiro mundo – o