Africa’s militia and ongoing conflicts wreak havoc on its wildlife, report says
Libreville, Gabon — Sudan’s Janjaweed militia, Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other notorious militias are wreaking havoc on wildlife in central Africa, poaching and trafficking elephants, hippopotamus, buffaloes and other animals, a monitor said on Friday. The threat comes from "highly organised armed groups linked to human rights violations and ongoing political instability" as well as state actors, armed pastoralists and poachers, wildlife trade monitor Traffic said in a report. Joseph Kony, a self-styled mystic and prophet who launched a bloody rebellion three decades ago, "tasked a group of LRA fighters with obtaining 100 tusks ... over the course of nine months" from the Garamba natural reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Traffic said. The report also tracked poaching in Bili in the DRC and the Chinko reserve in the Central African Republic. The research covered nearly 90 villages in the region. "This region is perhaps the most remote and under-developed ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.