How elephant tusks turn into ivory in the hands of criminal organizations
See a previous article on the subject - The traumatic war to save wildlife
Data in a new report by TRAFFIC collected over the past ten years and distributed by the network for documenting the trade in wildlife ("TRAFFIC"), interviews with traders and partners to talk about the crime in the heinous trade throughout Central Africa are published. An ivory trader from Cameroon told a traffic researcher: "Ivory is like drugs and you have to be careful, but if you are serious about your pursuit, with care and patience, you can get as much as you want."
For almost ten years, traffic investigators conducted interviews with dozens of people active in the ivory trade in Central Africa. Based on investigations, investigations and ideas, a comprehensive survey is published on the abominable trade in Cameroon, Congo, the People's Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Gabon, the five countries that "fuel" the trade in Africa and outside Africa.
It turns out that the activity is made possible because of close ties between the traders and officials and government officials. All the researchers came to the conclusion that the criminal activity is made possible because of corruption and weak authorities.
According to the report, "efforts to enforce laws and prohibitions fail because of corruption, when (government) officials in senior positions are often involved in preventing enforcement. Added to this is a lack of manpower, a paucity of budgetary resources and mismanagement.
One of the traders claimed that he has a relative in the army who supplies him with tusks and that the main supplier of tusks is a senior government official and that to some extent the UN "peacekeepers" who are free to move around in the area are complicit in the crime.
Researchers recorded army officers who testified that groups in the army are responsible for killing elephants in the Virunga Reserve, when the ivory is driven by the militias of the "Democratic Liberation Army" of Rwanda.
Throughout the years of the study, "black" markets that were active disappeared except in Kinshasa. Compared to hundreds of kilograms of ivory that were presented in the markets in the years 1999 to 2007, in 2014-2015 only a few kilograms were recorded, and the question arises, what caused the local ivory markets to disappear?
Apparently, despite the corruption and the failure of enforcement, the pressures and activities are increasing (remember the blessed activity of the Israeli Ofir Drori in a "voluntary" framework for tracking and catching poachers in Central Africa), but despite the blessed activity of voluntary bodies, the study showed that the trade is moving from "open" local markets to an underground activity focused on exports tusks for markets mainly in China.
In many cases, Chinese are accused of operating in the framework of organized crime, an activity that harmed the availability of ivory for local traders and carvers. A sharp increase in the price of ivory in local markets is attributed to "high demand and limited supply due to increased exports in internet transactions by criminal organizations with a strong financial backing". This creates a situation in which criminals involved in the international ivory trade take advantage of the weaknesses and corruption of governments and official bodies.
It is clear that the countries of Central Africa are facing a challenge that requires the strengthening of governance and enforcement and an urgent need to promote efforts and activities within an international framework and aid, but as long as corruption is rampant and officials are complicit in the trafficking conspiracy, the strong intentions will not succeed.
In July, the region's leaders pledged to intensify the fight against corruption. At the end of the G20 leaders' meeting, the leaders pledged to deal with the corruption that enables the crimes of animal trafficking. There are those who see this as a positive and essential step to stop the ivory trade. When there is a commitment of such magnitude and importance, will budgets be allocated for implementation?
Last month it was reported in the media that the Chinese ambassador in Namibia offered China's support in launching a joint effort by the Southern African countries to combat the trade in ivory, rhinoceros horns and wild animals, as part of China's determined activity to decisively combat the criminal poacher,
If the same offer was given to the leaders of the Central African countries, would they be able to reject it?
I will add that when China is the main market for elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns, pangolin scales and more and more wild animals and their parts, wouldn't it be right and effective to close the market?
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