The Request was submitted by an international NGO, Afrique-Europe Interact, with local representation in Mali. The NGO complained about land grabbing by the project and its adverse effects on the people living in the villages of Sanamadougou and Sahou. The inhabitants of these villages, who refused to leave their agricultural lands at the beginning of the project, have allegedly been subjected to serious violations of their rights and have received threats to their physical security. In addition, a number of those affected by the project (i.e. PAPs), were not compensated while a few others received only symbolic compensation amounts for their lands and properties. The Director of the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU) registered the Request on 12 May, 2016 pending verification of two issues: (a) if there was any land dispute case pending before any courts in Mali at the time of submission of the Request, and (b) if the NGO, being a foreign representative, had obtained representational authority to act on behalf of the people affected by the project.

The project will expand M3’s existing processing facilities to produce: (i) semolina from durum wheat, millet and maize; (ii) long and short pasta, as well as couscous from wheat, millet and maize; and (iii) flour from kibbled millet and maize. M3 will also acquire a new flour mill for the production of bread-quality wheat flour or “flour mill”. The production residue will be used to produce animal feed.

The M3 is located approximately 230 km from Bamako, in the Rural Commune of Sébougou which is almost part of the city of Ségou. It is located on a plot involving eight contiguous land titles (TF No. 1133-1140 ) with a total area of 7 ha 15 a 38 ca. The town is under the supervision of the Sous-Prefect of Ségou. The project’s influence extends to the rural communes of Sébougou and Ségou and their surroundings. Seven production chains will be set up on the M3 Project site at Ségou. The project is expected to promote local agricultural development and to strengthen the value chains by creating direct and indirect employment as well as business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. By producing import substitutes, the project is expected to have a positive impact on the trade balance, while the increased local production will enhance food security by creating jobs and wealth for the country. The project involves the installation of units for the production of couscous and pasta. These include silos for the storage of raw materials (hard wheat, soft wheat, maize, millet and sorghum), and three (03) mills for the production of meal and flour to be used to supply production lines. Other facilities associated with the project include; boilers (steam and hot water), air compressors (compressed air production), refrigerators (cooling water production), and electric transformers. Under the project, silos will be acquired, allowing for an increase in M3 storage capacity to 20,000 tons for durum wheat, 5,000 tons for maize, and 5,000 tons for millet.