xvii. Tackling Land Tenure Reform Land disputes are commonplace in Liberia.466 Years of war and large population movements combined with an outdated land registry system have led to widespread confusion over issues of land ownership, sale, and the right of return for refugees. These disputes are occasionally violent, and numerous international observers have commented on the potential for land issues to lead to conflict in the country.467 At present, there are two parallel systems: that of legal, private deeded tenure and the customary rights enjoyed by indigenous communities.468 There are, however, no simple means to bridge these two systems, and the government maintains that it has an almost universal right to ‘eminent domain’ in the country. While some communities possess “tribal deeds,” many At the administrative level the task of registering all old private land claims and correlating it with customary and tribal land claims is daunting, to say the least. Officials involved with the Land Commission say it may take a decade, and have called for a moratorium on concessions while it conducts its review. 471 This recommendation was not accepted by the current administration. The Commission lacks the capacity to perform this overwhelming task, and according to one observer even basic indexing and filing skills are rare, with many officials lacking the will to transparently re-categorize a broken system that can easily be manipulated for personal benefit. 472 cicr-columbia.org/.../2012/01/Smell-No-Taste.pdf
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 20:25:28 +0000
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