Animal skins from South Africa seized in South Sudan

Security officers in South Sudan have seized more than 320kg (700lb) of wild animal skins smuggled from South Africa, a wildlife official has told the BBC.

The haul was confiscated at the international airport in the capital, Juba, after being flown in on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, said South Sudan's director-general for Wildlife Services, Aldo Geake.

The suspected ringleader of the smuggling network had been arrested, and it was thought that the animal skins were to be smuggled to Europe, South Sudan's Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, Rizik Zachariah Hassan, was quoted by the local Eye Radio as saying.

However, Gen Geake told the BBC that no-one had been arrested, and the destination of the animal skins was unclear.

Animal skins are used for a wide variety of purposes - including making clothes, shoes and handbags.