James CheyneJedburgh andRachel GrantBBCThe three members of the group remained in the woodland but moved a few metres from their previous encampmentA self-styled “African tribe” has been evicted from privately-owned land in the Scottish Borders, moving a short distance over a small wire fence.Five officials and four police officers entered the makeshift encampment in woodland near Jedburgh at 08:00 while the three members of the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Kubala group were still asleep. Shouting could be heard from the woods as they woke them.The group, who have been living on the site for several weeks despite formal attempts to remove them, said they were reclaiming land that was stolen from their ancestors 400 years ago – but the local council said they were breaking the law.The eviction order was issued by Sheriff Peter Paterson last week after the group ignored a previous instruction to leave their encampment.The “tribe” has a growing online presence, with more than 100,000 followers on TikTok and Facebook, and has received worldwide media attention.Ghanaian Kofi Offeh, 36, and Jean Gasho, 42, who is originally from Zimbabwe, first arrived in the Jedburgh area in the spring.Describing themselves as King Atehehe and Queen Nandi, they set up camp on a hillside above the town in the Scottish Borders.They were joined by “handmaiden” Kaura Taylor, from Texas, who calls herself Asnat.Officers remained on site for about 90 minutes on Tuesday, by which time the their tents had been dismantled and their possessions packed up.The three members of the group remained on site but had moved a few metres from their previous encampment to the other side a of a wire fence. The group would not directly comment when asked by BBC Scotland what had happened.The three previously camped on the left of the wire fence and have now moved a few metres to the rightThe group claimed ancestral rights to land and insisted that the Kingdom of Kubala had been born.Scottish Borders Council initially evicted the trio from the hillside site above Jedburgh in July.But rather than leave the area, they moved about a mile further out of town to a woodland next to an industrial estate.Mr Offeh previously said he was “not afraid” of the warrant for their eviction.The land’s owners, David and Mary Palmer, successfully applied to the courts for the tribe to be evicted.The camp is located near Jedburgh in the south of ScotlandHowever, Scottish Borders Council said they had failed to comply with an order to leave the land by 17:00 on Monday.Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton said last week that the group were breaking the law by taking up residence on someone else’s land.He said the landowner had been left with “no option” but to seek an order from the sheriff.Mr Hamilton, deputy leader of the council, said it was disappointing – but not surprising – that the group had ignored the ultimatum to leave the site.”They have rebuffed every opportunity to engage with us,” he said.”We can help them, but we won’t sit back and let them break the law.”
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‘African tribe’ move camp over small fence during eviction from Jedburgh woodland
