 Reference Base  Entrepots for rhino horn in Khartoum and Cairo threaten G... |
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| Location: |
World |
| Subject: |
Trade |
| Species: |
All Rhino Species |
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Movements of horn from Garamba. Trade routes for rhino horn northwards across the Zaire border, such as through Doruma, to Sudan were well established in the 1970s and early 1980s. The start of increased protection of Garamba in 1984 coincided with the beginning of the second Sudanese civil war. This war probably had a positive effect on rhinos in one way by disrupting the trade routes into southern Sudan as far east as the Garamba area, although poaching for large mammals in eastern CAR has continued and trade routes through this country to northern Sudan are still in use.
There are reports of relatively recent movements of rhino horn and ivory, such as the horn offered for sale in Maridi in 1996 (C. Moore, a road contractor for Terra Firina, pers. comm., 1996) plus a later report in the Maridi area given to Philip Winter in 1998. There are also occasional movements of ivory from Maridi on aid vehicles (Garamba Park guards, pers. comm.). A rhino horn apparently was moved across the border from Aru to Arua in Uganda in 1997 (G. Malamas, Garamba Project, pers. comm., 1997.). Some small pieces of rhino horn were offered to an officer of the ICCN in Kinshasa in 1996. They had apparently come via a businesswoman from the Bunia area in the north-east of the country (A. Mbayma, Conservateur Principal, Garamba National Park, pers. comm., 1996).
Potential trade routes for rhino horn from Garamba to Khartoum/ Omdurman could operate directly across the border to southern Sudan or across the border into Uganda. There are no flights from Uganda to Khartoum for political reasons; therefore, horns brought to Uganda could then be taken to Kenya for schedule flights to Khartoum. Garamba horns taken to Maridi in southern Sudan could reach Omdurman/ Khartoum via three routes. One is northwards overland; the second is on aid flights to Kenya; and the third is north-west overland through neighbouring eastern CAR where Sudanese poachers and traders are active.
Sudanese have been travelling to eastern CAR at least since the mid-1970s to poach rhinos, elephants and other large animals. More recently, they could have obtained rhino horns from poachers who bring them north from Garamba. A veterinarian, Richard Kock, who was working in this part of CAR in March and April 1999, reports that large numbers of well-armed hunting gangs of about six men each with camels, horses and donkeys are still entering CAR Most of them are Baggaras from northern Sudan who are traditionally aggressive raiders, but there are also some gangs from southern Sudan. They come into the south-east part of CAR because much wildlife is still abundant there while most of the large animals on the Sudan side have been eliminated. Once inside CAR, the gangs seek out elephants for their tusks and meat, but also poach kob, buffalo, bongo, roan, eland and hippo with their automatic rifles. The meat is dried or smoked and is sold mostly in eastern Sudan, while ivory and probably sometimes rhino horns are brought to Omdurman and Khartoum for sale. Richard Kock saw a different poaching gang every day (while he was surveying animals from the air). He also saw over 20 recently poached elephants, all with their tusks removed, in six different areas. He estimates that 30 to 40 elephants are killed each week. There are very few resident people in this large area and almost no government presence due to the insecurity brought about by the heavily armed and aggressive Sudanese poaching gangs (R. Kock, pers. comm.1999).
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