The UN Secretary supports the Convention for the Protection of Endangered Species and welcomes the request from the Security Council to investigate the involvement of the terrorist group "Lord's Resistance", which originates from Uganda. Its members operate today in the Congo, Sudan and other countries and are engaged in killing elephants and smuggling their tusks into the ivory industry.
We hear about the UN Security Council mainly in the context of conflicts between countries and sometimes also in decisions against Israel. It turns out that the same body also gives its opinion when violent activities affect the natural environment and wildlife.
The UN Secretary supports the Convention for the Protection of Endangered Species and welcomes the request from the Security Council to investigate the involvement of the terrorist group "Lord's Resistance", which originates from Uganda. Its members operate today in the Congo, Sudan and other countries and are engaged in killing elephants and smuggling their tusks into the ivory industry.
The Secretary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), notes that this is a call that can be considered historic, as it links the killing of wild animals and the black market trade in wild animal parts such as elephant tusks, rhinoceros horns and many other animals.
The secretary of the "Convention" says that "they are ready to cooperate in efforts to investigate the involvement of armed groups in environmental crimes such as the killing of wild animals, trade in their organs and deforestation.
In a presidential statement, at the end of December, the Secretary of the United Nations called on the Organization of African States to join the comprehensive investigation of the activities of the "Army of the Lord" which is financed by the killing of elephants and the smuggling of their tusks. "The Lord's Army" was founded in 1980 and for 15 years attacked mostly Ugandan citizens. In 2002, the Ugandan army managed to remove the militia from northern Uganda and since then its people have been operating in the neighboring countries. The armed group is notorious for slaughtering villages, kidnapping children to be used as soldiers and girls for prostitution.
According to the "Convention" there is a sharp increase in several countries in the killing of wild animals, mainly in the killing of elephants and rhinoceroses whose parts are smuggled to Asian markets. According to the "Convention" data received from the "Elephant Killing Monitoring Center" (a center that began monitoring since 2002), cases of elephant killings have increased since 2006. The information is supported by other monitoring bodies and by information received from the customs authorities and local nature conservation organizations , national and international.
The years 2009 - 2011 were the deadliest (the report makes no reference to 2012, which surpassed all negative records). In addition to this, it turns out that in the killing of elephants there is a growing involvement of international criminal organizations that operate "militias" armed with modern means. For example: in a reserve in northern Cameroon, about 450 elephants were killed by groups coming from Chad and Sudan. The stolen ivory is used to purchase weapons for "militias" involved in local conflicts.
Another example is the killing of 22 elephants in the Garamba reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the elephants were shot from a helicopter in one raid, with the help of precision weapons by expert snipers.
The "Convention" is signed by 176 countries and is one of the most important and powerful tools for monitoring nature conservation, the trade in approximately 35,000 protected species and their organs, and ensuring the continued existence of wild species that contribute to improving the lives of the locals and the environment.
In his statement, the President of the Security Council condemned the attacks of the "Lord's Army" and stated that the "regional strategy" will be planned to prevent the threat as soon as possible. The "regional strategy" approved by the Council in June will focus on fully supporting the activities of the African Union and implementing cooperation against the "Lord's Army" and against other militias, strengthening efforts to promote the protection of civilians and the expansion of disarmament, the liberation of partisan armies, the repatriation of refugees and their integration into society. A "strategy" or activity that will hopefully neutralize the murderous activity of militias.
It is hoped that the entry of the UN Security Council into environmental activities will help to prevent further killing.
