THE PUBLIC UTILITY DECLARATIONS FOR TOLIARA SANDS SARL MUST BE CANCELLED, AND THREATS AGAINST THE DEFENDERS OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CONCERNED COMMUNITIES MUST STOP.

On July 23, 2018 , several civil society organizations signed and published a Communiqué contesting the decisions of the Madagascar Council of Ministers of April 11 and July 18, 2018 declaring that the construction works  of the port and road infrastructure for the mining project of the company TOLIARA SANDS SARL are in the public interest, as well as its "exploitation works in the perimeter of the mining sites located in the Communes of Ankilimalinike, Tsianisiha, and deciding the acquisition for public utility of the parcels of land and / or buildings affected by these works either through amicable settlement or expropriation."

Following this Communiqué, which was widely disseminated to all stakeholders and relayed by the media to the general public, the communities concerned by the Toliara Sands mining project mobilized to reaffirm their opposition to Public Interest  Declarations for the benefit of TOLIARA SANDS SARL, in particular the Vezo community of fishermen who spoke forcefully on this subject during its public demonstration of 27 July 2018. On the side of the local authorities, the Mayor of Ankilimalinike gave order to the Dinabe (community security forces) to arrest Theo Rakotovao, President of the MA.ZO.TO. Association, upon his next passage through the town.

In response to this situation, the signatories of this Communiqué:

• reiterate our opposition to this misuse of the Public Utility Declaration, especially since the procedures required by Ordinance No. 62-023 of 19 September 1962 on Public Interest  Declarations have not been respected. In particular, the testimonies of community members indicated that "the administrative investigation commodo and incommodo, and public inquiry to evaluate the amount of land and owners to be expropriated", as well as the publication of the "provisional general plan of properties likely to be affected by the planned works " have not been made prior to the Declaration of Public Utility, in violation of Articles 4 and 5 of the aforementioned Ordinance;

• support the claim of the concerned communities who demand the immediate cancellation of the Public Utility Declarations of April 11 and July 18, 2018 decided by the leaders of the Malagasy State for the benefit of the private mining company TOLIARA SANDS SARL;

• condemn the retaliation against the efforts by the MA.ZO.TO. Association to protect the rights of the concerned communities, particularly the repressive measures taken by the Mayor of Ankilimalinike to silence its President.

Antananarivo, July 30, 2018.

• Association MA.ZO.TO.
• CRAAD-OI / RSCDA-IO
• Collectif pour la défense des terres malgaches - TANY
• TAFO MIHAAVO
• KMF-CNOE
• ILONTSERA
• FENASOBE
• WWF
• MIFAMA
• CNPFDH
• KREDO
• CROV (ONGs du Vakinankaratra)
• Réseau pour la Transparence et la Redevabilité Sociale à Madagascar (RTRSM)
• Justiça Ambiental, Friends of the Earth Mozambique
• GroundWork, Friends of the Earth, South Africa
• Centar za zivotnu sredinu/ Friends of the Earth Bosnia and Herzegovina