Ivory poaching allegedly financed al-Shabab

via Westgate mall attack: Ivory poaching allegedly financed al-Shabab | Mail & Guardian 25 SEP 2013

Al-Shabab has allegedly received a large amount of money through ivory and rhino horn smuggling, says a report.

The Beeld reported on Wednesday findings by the Environmental Investigation Agency that the al-Shabab insurgents responsible for the fatal attack on Kenya’s Westgate mall were partly funded by money from the illegal ivory and rhino horn trade.

“Up to 40% of al-Shabab’s money comes from ivory-users and buyers,” the Environmental Investigation Agency said.

While the global-focus centred mainly on poachers, it was ivory consumers, who used ivory for either ornamental or medicinal purposes, that financed the group.

An investigation done on behalf of the Environmental Investigation Agency in 2011 by Nir Kalron, founder of Maisha Consulting, and Andrea Crosta, executive director of the non-governmental organisation Elephant Action League, found that al-Shabab was part of an international ivory smuggling network.

The group was also involved in the smuggling of rhino horn that enabled them to buy explosives, bullets and weapons.

The investigation brought to light the fact that al-Shabab had earned between R2-million and R6-million per month in 2011 through illegal ivory sales.

In 2012, the estimated retail price of black market ivory was about R18 000 per kilogramme. – Sapa