Namibia tackles surge in elephant tusk smuggling
Xinhua
March 15, 2024
Namibian authorities have taken decisive action following a series of large
seizures of elephant tusks, totaling 57 tusks in three separate incidents.
Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and
Tourism, said in an interview with Xinhua Thursday that investigations have
revealed that these tusks originated from Botswana and were smuggled into
the country through Namibia's northeastern region of Zambezi, which borders
northern Botswana.
Muyunda said they have established that these activities are conducted by
syndicates that involve locals conniving to facilitate movement across the
region.
The spokesperson said although most of the tusks were seized at the end of
last year, the investigation is still ongoing.
"As a ministry, we are enhancing our intelligence efforts to gather
information on the activities of these syndicates, enabling us to intercept
them effectively," he said. "We rely on the cooperation of the Namibian
police and immigration officials to enforce border laws, including the
detection of illicit goods."
Due to a surge in elephant poaching since last year, Namibia and Botswana
have launched a joint investigation and increased patrols in northern
Botswana.
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