Incineration is not good enough because law reinforcement is lacking
Estacios Valoi
22/08/15
Millions and millions of meticais in ivory
still disappear from Mozambique smuggled to China with involvement of
Mozambican leaders feeding the poaching “industry” mainly from North of the
country.
The illicit poaching crime syndicate
involving Mozambican officials and Tanzanian and
Somalian citizens operating from within the north side of the country in ivory
trafficking on “industrial scale” even surpasses statistics previously announced by some
environmental organization such as WSC of between 800-1500 elephants
slaughtered annually.
Officials recently destroyed about 2.4 tons
of ivory tusks and 193 kg of rhino horn seized last May in Maputo in an attempt
to starve this industry. According to Carlos Sera Junior, the gesture sent out
a message “…about the strength of our commitment” to conservation, with Land,
Environment and Rural Development Minister Celso Correia lighting the bonfire.
Not good enough
This is however just a fraction of tons of
ivory, kept in other warehouses within the country and at risk of
being stolen by the authorities as it happened with elephant tasks taken from
the Agriculture Ministry’s offices in Inhambane and Maputo Provinces in 2011,
including the firearms used on the illicit activities aimed at supplying an
industry involving police and other officials of the judiciary system.
Industrialization
This industry has been growing for years. In 2011, about
four tons of ivory tasks where burned in Cabo Delgado province’s Quirimba
National Park. These tusks were seized after the closed trucks used for transporting
the illicit ivory broke down about 2 kilometers from the rangers’ check point in the park. “It took place at the time where we had many
elephants,” said one source.
Behind this were well-organized syndicates, organizing everything
from transportation to crossing the police and agriculture officials’ check points with ivory from elephants poached at Bilibiza lagoon,
Metupe-Npule, and villages along the Montepuez River.
The same powerful officials are also part of
these crime syndicates, operating on industrial scale, with
several cases pointing at the involvement of officials attached to national
security institutions. Said one source: “We saw it at the critical time when
soldiers,…helicopters were involved in 2009/2010” in (QNP)-Cabo Delgado province.”
Poachers such Manuel Carona from Montepuez
are linked to the former Cabo Delgado agriculture director and slaughtered
between six to ten elephants, with no action ever taken against him. It
happened at the time when the current Mozambican Agriculture Minister was Cabo
Delgado province’s Governor.
This case was brought to the former Cabo
Delgado Governor José Pacheco’s attention in 2009 by Jose Dias, currently Gile
National Reserve administrator in Zambeze Province.
Dias at the time was working for the
provincial Agriculture department when Manuel Carona, together with a
Portuguese national who was the manager of Negomano Safaris, poached six
elephants. Corona’s UNIMOG truck was seized with dried elephant meat in Nambo
Village-Mucojo as he was on his way to trade the meat in Mueda and Muedume
districts.
The truck was taken to Mozambican police
headquarter in Macomia. At the time, Jose Pacheco absent from the province and
his deputy by Mister Vingua, former Plan and Financial province director, took
charge of the case. Dias and Mozambican criminal police investigators pursuing
the case were suspended by Alexandre Vingue after submitting their report.
“Governor Pacheco, back to Pemba, released a
dispatch for all the governors in North of the country stating that Carona
should not be accepted as an operator,” Dias said.
“Carona brought poachers from Montepuez - and today, he is the manager of Majune Safaris in
Niassa province,” said another source contacted by this reporter. Indeed,
the new wildlife conservation bill still has some gaps and big bonanzas for the
criminal syndicates, and many a “prosecutor was still protecting his own people."
“Judge, prosecutor
benefit poachers”
Agriculture
Ministry, Tourism and Interior, Law n-10/99, 7 June Forest and wildlife Bill
Decree
n-12/2002, 6 June Given competence for
the agriculture, tourism and interior minister to approve the statute of the
inspector of forest and wildlife; article 107,Maputo June 2006
Article 43
(Repressive tools and use)
1-
The ranger as a right to carry and
use a firearm even without a license during his duty and its legitimacy use of
it protecting states, self-defense or protecting other rangers on their duty
cannot be criminalized.
2-
The rangers will only use force or
firearm under high rational risk circumstances for his own physical or third
person’s integrity; Or before a citizen his
confirmed resistance for the ranger’s
inspection during his duty or law measure applications
In March 2015, a joint operation by Rangers from Niassa National Reserve
(NNR), Luwire Camp and by officials from Mozambican Police based in Marupá on pursuing poachers was held in the Reserve.
During the operation five poachers were arrested and their two firearms
confiscated.
Seven rangers from NNR, Luwire
Camp and police officials where herd judged in Mecula court alleged by
excessive use of force during poachers’ questioning.
In court the female judge, mainly Danilo Tiago the Mecula prossecutor
defended the poachers. He even said we rangers have
to pay the poachers, he wrote it in a paper and held it to the judge.” Said a
ranger
The other firearm, a .375, was
confiscated from 19-year-old Rachide Chaibo (“Issa”), who remained in jail
because he could not pay the bail. Chaibo confirmed to the Mecula court that
the firearm belongs to his uncle Issufo, a poacher who was beaten up first by the rangers and later by police
official, resulting injuries that saw him later hospitalized for 10 days.
The
fact is corroborated by one of the rangers.
“We did beat the poacher and later we took him to the police station and
there he was excessively beaten up and they took him to the hospital. We even said
it in court.”
A The Tanzanian poacher arrested
Muricho Rachid Muricho (who paid
bail of 95 thousands Meticais ($3.275.862 and was released) was using a
semi-automatic firearm which belonged Captain Joao(He is known as Captain Joao)
of the Mozambican Army Defense Force (FADEMO), stationed at the Marupá district
military headquarters.
“The Tanzanian poacher said that the firearm belongs to Joao, the only
one soldier -captain in Marupa. There is no other Joao and when we asked Joao
he also did confirm that the weapon belongs to him and he gave it to the
Tanzanian Poacher in order to infiltrates him inside the poachers’ network. He
is a military and not a ranger, not authorized”. Said the rangers the court,
police station never invited Joao for the hearing.
Recently on 28th June, Mecula court fined the NNR and Luwire rangers to between
four to nine thousands met ($153 to 310) in damages to Issufo and three poachers from Lichungwe-Marupá in
jail, payable by 7th August 2015. Issufo today is back at his business, running a taxi in the Mecula-Marupá area.
The real problem was the administrator and prosecutor Cornelio, the
rangers said. In October 2014, six
rangers (three each from NNR and James’ block) caught poachers during an
operation held in the Rovuma River area. But then they were arrested by the
police border patrol - because the poachers were working for them. One of the NNR rangers was beaten so badly,
he was hospitalized for a month. No
action was taken against the border police. “Cornelio, including the Mecula prosecutor,
did nothing about this case, and now we have to pay theses poachers or go to
jail!” said one of the rangers involved.
The rangers allege that Antonio Bernardo had told them he and Paul
Nhenge had paid Mecula prosecutor Danilo Tiago and the chief of police
operations a bribe of USD $16, 129. Tiago had previously denied any knowledge
or involvement in this.
Recently on 05/08/15 Felisberto Mutereua the Chimbunila-
Administrator and other seven people were detained by rangers ‘poaching’ inside
Maua forest. The case was taken to police station and to the Mozambican general
Attorney in district where the defendant, administrator was heard by a
prosecutor and later released. “He has firearm possession and hunting permits
like many people I do know here. The others were never been in police station
or in a hearing session with prosecutor! And he was granted a holiday while the
others remain behind bars Says a source
in Lichinga.
Wildlife and forest conservation law.
In spite of the
Penal Code’s Article 253 having been stiffened on September 9 last year,
several repeat offenders still walk free and Mozambique still was awash in a
sea of illegal AK-47s.
Two crimes, poaching and illegal firearm possession,
can result in about 24 years imprisonment but this new bill, is made only for
poachers, in general poor people and benefits
the kingpins getting rich and rich on trade , exportation of product
from poaching even on timber looting.
Kingpins are not imprisoned; they are condemned only to pay a bail and are set
free by the Judicial System.
And yet, Mozambique
is always present at all international meetings on environmental issues, the
rangers bitterly remarked.
