Eviction of Self-Styled ‘Group’ from Scottish Forest Site Starts
Attempts to dislodge a self-proclaimed group claiming African heritage from individually-held land have commenced in the Scottish Borders.
Law enforcement and sheriff officers have arrived at the encampment where a small group of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Kubala have been residing in woodland near Jedburgh for a number of weeks.
They claimed they were retaking land that was taken from their ancestors long ago – but the local council said they were breaking the law.
The removal notice was issued by a local sheriff last week after the group disregarded a earlier instruction to leave their site.
The community has a expanding online presence, with over 100,000 followers on TikTok and Facebook, and has received global media attention.
From Ghana Kofi Offeh, 36, and Jean Gasho, 42, who is a native of Zimbabwe, first arrived in the region near Jedburgh in the recent months.
Describing themselves as King Atehehe and a royal designation, they created an encampment on a slope above the town in the Scottish Borders.
They were met by "handmaiden" another member, from Texas, who refers to herself as Asnat.
The group claimed lineage-based privileges to land and insisted that the self-declared realm had been established.
The regional council first displaced the trio from the elevated location above Jedburgh in July.
But instead of leave the area, they moved about a mile further out of town to a woodland area next to an commercial zone.
One member has previously said that he was "not afraid" of the order for their removal.
The legal proprietors, the landowners, sought approval to the courts for the tribe to be cleared.
However, local officials said they had not adhered with an order to leave the land by late afternoon on Monday.
A community official said last week that the group were disregarding the law by occupying someone else's land.
He said the landowner had been left with no alternative but to seek an directive from the judge.
The representative said it was regrettable – but not surprising – that the group had ignored the deadline to leave the site.
They have rejected every opportunity to cooperate with us," he said.
Assistance is available, but we cannot permit and let them violate the law."
