South Sudan: Wildlife Become Casualties of War, Killed to Feed Troops

Juba — While South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar agreed last week to end the country's devastating six-month conflict by forming a transitional government within the next two months, it may come too late for this country's wildlife as conservation officials accuse fighters on both sides of engaging in killing wild animals to feed their forces. Poaching has always been a common practice in South Sudan. But conservationists say that since the conflict between the government and forces loyal to Machar began in December 2013, there has been an upsurge in the killing and trafficking of wildlife by government and anti-government forces as well as armed civilians.

South Sudan Becoming a Hub for Wildlife Trafficking

Between January and April, South Sudan Wildlife Service officers seized a number of elephant tusks.

In one incident officials arrested an Egyptian trader trying to transport several kilograms of ivory through Juba International Airport.

"During that period[January to April] alone wildlife officers seized 30 elephants' tusks in Juba. They also seized another 12 elephant tusks from a dealer in Lantoto in Yei County, Central Equatoria state. This translates to 21 elephants dead," Michael Lopidia, WCS's deputy director for South Sudan.

"In that short period of time, if they can seize this high number of tusks then you can see that poaching is on the increase with conflict," he explained.

Also between January and April, a combined force of wildlife forces and the SPLA soldiers seized over 40 kilograms of bush meant and eight leopard skins in Juba during random security checks on vehicles.

"Since the start of this conflict we have noticed that poaching has become terrible. Rebels are poaching and the government forces are also poaching because they are all fighting in rural areas and the only available food they can get is wild meat," Lieutenant General Alfred Akuch Omoli, an advisor to South Sudan's Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, told IPS.

Officials say elephants are being killed for their meat and tusks while migratory animals that move in large numbers, especially the white-eared kob, the tiang (also known as the Senegal hartebeest) and reedbuck, are being killed specifically to provide bush meat.