Business as usual, illegal logging and charcoal burning rife in areas bordering Uganda in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, is raising alarm.
Whereas in the DRC and South Sudan, illegal logging and charcoal burning go on virtually unabated in the forested regions that border Uganda’s West Nile sub-region, East Madi Wildlife Reserve and Zoka Central Forest in the West Nile sub-region have been severely ravaged by these business activities.
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A team leader at Friends of Zoka Forest in Adjumani District, Mr. William Amanzuru, observed that “the lumbering and charcoal business is highly militarized. It is swallowing the Great Lakes region because of a lack of a will to have proper governance of the natural resources we have. For instance, we have a lot of timber and charcoal that comes from South Sudan and DR Congo. There is no proper control over them.”
As expected, the Arua City Environment Officer, Ms. Mary Dawaru, also pointed fingers, saying, “The starting point for charcoal burning starts from the local communities who see this as a source of income. They cut the indigenous tree species, and the charcoal ends up in the urban centers.”
It should be said that the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act 2003 states that “no person shall, in a forest reserve, cut, disturb, damage, burn, or destroy any forest produce or remove or receive any forest product except in accordance with regulatory or guidelines made for the proper management of the forest reserve.”
From South Sudan, the forest merchandise is transported into Kuluba Sub-county in Koboko District, Uganda, using motorcycles, bicycles, and women who carry it on their heads. The charcoal is then loaded onto trucks that transport them to other parts of the country.
A resident of Koboko Municipality, Ms Sauda Alege, disclosed that, “The charcoal from South Sudan is strong. If you are cooking beans, you just use it once. I think they get it from the strong trees. They are on high demand here.”
“We get some of the timber from there. They are sold cheaply. However, I think there is a lack of laws in South Sudan,” Ms. Alege adds.
At the Arua City-DR Congo border, Onduparaka and Odramacaku towns have become centers of illegal timber trade.
The timber is loaded onto trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles and transported from Ariwara Town in DR Congo to Uganda.
One of the dealers from Ariwara Town, Mr. Jeane Fred Franco, says, “The timbers we get here come from the Okapi Wildlife Reserve forest and come through Haut Uele to Isiro in Ituri Province to Ariwara Town. We mainly get hardwood timbers that are well-matured and marketable in Uganda. It has been a source of my livelihood for a long time in Ariwara.”
“We normally use the panya (trails) routes to cross into Uganda because we fear being taxed by the Revenue Authority. Once you pass, you know you will now get your money because connections will have already been made by buyers,” Mr. Franco further alleged.
During a joint operation by the UPDF, police, National Forestry Authority (NFA), and Itirikwa Sub-county leaders in East Madi Wildlife Reserve and Zoka Central Forest last year, 27 illegal loggers, including 22 Ugandans, three Rwandans, and two Congolese, were arrested.
In November 2022, locals recovered 1,128 pieces of timber from an illegal logging camp inside Zoka Central Forest Reserve.
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