Billion dollar wildlife and gold trade fuelling DR Congo war: UN
Smuggling of ivory, gold and timber is fuelling war by funding dozens of rebel groups, a UN report warns. PHOTO | FILE |
Smuggling of ivory, gold and timber worth over a billion dollars a year is fuelling war by funding dozens of rebel groups in Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN report warned Friday.
"Militarised criminal groups with transnational links are involved in large-scale smuggling" of "gold, minerals, timber, charcoal and wildlife products such as ivory" of up to $1.3 billion (1.2 billion euros) each year from eastern DRC, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said.
