III. Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Terrorism

Abstract

The possible link between poaching, wildlife trafficking and terrorism is a frequent feature of public narratives. This chapter examines the evidence underpinning claims of widespread participation by terrorist groups in the illegal ivory trade. It considers the assertions that Al-Shabaab, the Janjaweed and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) – the three most commonly cited groups – have become major beneficiaries. Al-Shabaab – the Al-Qa'ida-affiliated Somali jihadi Islamist organisation – has featured perhaps the most strongly in claims of participation in ivory poaching and trafficking. Al-Shabaab performs a crucial middleman role, trafficking vast quantities of ivory along a chain running through Somali ports to East Asian end markets. Today, numerous sources have reported Janjaweed elephant poaching operations in locations across Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As with the Janjaweed, evidence of LRA involvement in ivory poaching and trafficking is more solid than in the case of Al-Shabaab.