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Who can protect the right of Dikernes farmers to alternative lands?
About 200 farmers from El Horeya, El Bakry and El Arab villages on Dikernes area – Daqahleya demand alternative lands, as they have lost their lands because o the land law no. 96 for the year 1992. These farmers have handed over the lands that have been renting for decades to their owners according to the law and believing that the state will give them alternative lands, other than the lands that they have reclaimed and turned from wastelands to agrarian lands.
When a decision was issued and implemented in 1997 to give the farmers who handed over their lands alternative lands in the desert, these farmers applied to the Ministry of Agriculture to receive these alternative lands, made all the necessary procedures and presented all the necessary documents.
In 1998, the Ministry of Agriculture delivered alternative lands to 65 of farmers from Dikernes area, which gave these farmers some hope to receive alternative lands. So, they went to the agrarian association to ask about this issue. The manager of the association told them that their names were dropped out of the rolls, which made the farmers complain to the Minister of Agriculture, Daqahleya Governor, members of the People's Assembly and the Consultative Council, the head of the Land Handing In Corporation, the manager of El Nobareya Settlement and the head of the Construction and Development Corporation. All of these officials said that they will study the issue.
When conditions got worse for the farmers and their families, they decided to insist to receive their demands. On 18/9/2006, 50 of them went to the headquarter of the Ministry of Agriculture in Cairo holding signs that demand their right to alternative lands. The farmers met the head of the administrative affairs and the People's Assembly head of the agricultural committee at the Ministry. These two officials promised the farmers that they will give them alternative lands within two months.
At the beginning of November 2006, the farmers went to the Ministry of Agriculture to see what happened, and they were surprised with the head of the administrative affairs ignoring them and saying that he doesn't know what they are talking about. The farmers went to the member of the People's Assembly of their constituency, who also refused to meet them.
On 16/11/2006, the farmers decided to gather their families and make a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Agriculture holding signs that demand their rights. The Minister's office manager negotiated with them and issued decision no. 74 on 19/11/2006 to form a committee of the administrative supervision to research the conditions of these farmers and he promised to give them alternative lands after hearing the committee's decision.
The committee made its observations and wrote a report stating that these farmers deserve to receive alternative lands. But till now the farmers didn't receive alternative lands.
LCHR asserts that this problem reflects the negligence of the officials, decision makers and state employees. The committee's decisions are still locked up in the drawers of the governmental employees.
LCHR wonders, who could the farmers go to demand their rights? And what can they do to receive their rights?
LCHR demands the Prime Minister and the Minister of Agriculture to give these farmers alternative lands, as the irresponsible actions of the officials could lead to violent actions between citizens and the state because of the insistence in refusing farmers' rights to safety and decent living.
For more information, please contact the Center.