The Request raises several interconnected concerns related to the Bank-financed Dakar Bus Rapid Transit Pilot Project (P156186) in Senegal, and it alleges that the Project has failed to comply with the Bank’s Operational Policy OP 4.12 on Involuntary Resettlement in the handling of compensation to the Requesters for the acquisition of their lands for the Project.
Firstly, the Request alleges unequal treatment between different cohorts of affected persons. It claims that the 2018 cohort received free replacement plots in Malika Plage, while the 2022 cohort, which includes the Requesters, did not receive land in replacement, despite the fact that their land was in all ways identical to the earlier cohort.
Secondly, the Request alleges that the land of several individuals was expropriated without any prior census, formal valuation, or identification of the individuals as project-affected people. According to the Request, surveys and other measurement documents for compensation were never disclosed. For those that were valued, the Request alleges undervaluation, incorrect measurement, and misclassification of properties, resulting in lower compensation rates. The Request also alleges that a 20% Land Security Allowance mandated by the Project’s 2018 Resettlement Action Plan was never paid to them.
Thirdly, the Request alleges that community members suffered significant hardship as a result of the inadequate compensation. It states that many of those affected were unable to complete the construction of new homes with the amounts provided, and resorted to loans or selling personal assets to cover the shortfall. It further alleges that many of those affected were also forced to settle for lower-quality housing or to relocate to peripheral neighborhoods far from central Dakar, disrupting their access to employment, services, and social networks. The Request also alleges that rental income compensation was inadequate and capped at six months with no renewal provisions, while actual losses have extended over three years. In addition, the Request claims that their displacement has impacted their children’s access to schools, resulting in the children dropping out of school. It states that families who previously lived together in shared compounds have been separated, with no adequate alternatives provided.
Finally, the Request alleges that consent to compensation agreements was obtained under coercion and without prior disclosure of the final amounts. It claims that individuals were threatened with receiving less than the amount offered if they took their cases to court and so they finally accepted the compensations because they lacked the resources to challenge the Project.
The Panel is currently reviewing the admissibility of the Request in accordance with its mandate and Operating Procedures.
