Agreements with Bunong communities, land clarification in Cameroon and independent verifications: the Group calls for this progress to be included in the debate.
Fribourg, Switzerland / November 10, 2026
As the documentary Land Looters is screened in Switzerland, Socfin Group challenges a portrayal of its activities that gives a partial and outdated picture of the situations described in Cambodia and Cameroon. The agreements negotiated with communities, the announced land restitutions and the published independent verifications provide essential context for understanding these situations today.
The Coalition for Responsible Multinationals is using this film to support a change in Swiss legislation. Using it in a political campaign calls for complete and up to date information. Whenever the documentary was made, presenting it to the public today must take into account the developments that have occurred since the events it describes.
In Cambodia, the independent land dispute mediation “CLAIM,” conducted between 2018 and 2021, resulted in 26 agreements with 5 Bunong communities, made public in April 2026. These agreements provide negotiated solutions covering, among other things, community land, family rubber plantations, sacred sites and compensation. Some of the people interviewed in the documentary took part in this mediation themselves: their role and the outcomes of the process shed direct light on the situations presented.
In Cameroon, the land assessment and clarification process has already led to the announced restitution to the State of 8,834.08 hectares in Eséka and 2,566 hectares in Dibombari. These areas are in addition to the 20,466 hectares removed from the Socapalm concession by the first amendment to the 2000 emphyteutic lease, signed on August 30, 2005. The process is continuing on the plantations concerned.
In Cameroon, as in Cambodia, the Group’s companies operate most of the land concerned under leases or concessions granted by the State, which retains ownership.
These efforts are part of a broader drive to improve practices. Following investigations by Earthworm Foundation conducted between 2023 and 2025, action plans were launched and then independently verified by Proforest. Ten verification reports are now public. The Responsible Management Policy, updated in October 2026, and the Group’s new Sustainability Strategy provide the framework for continuing this work.
Socfin acknowledges that challenges remain and that commitments must translate into lasting results on the ground. These requirements make it all the more necessary to distinguish between historical facts, ongoing disputes and the solutions that have been delivered. A presentation that omits these developments does not provide a sufficiently complete basis for assessing the Group’s current practices.
In the debate on the evolution of Swiss law, Socfin shares the objectives of respecting human rights and protecting the environment. The Group supports clear, proportionate and enforceable requirements that are consistent with international frameworks, particularly European ones, and that deliver concrete results for the people concerned.
