An abandoned rhino after its tusk was taken off in one of the reserves
in Tanzania. A new drive dubbed: Spidernet which relies on intelligence,
has made tremendous success in curbing poaching in Katavi.
By By The Citizen Reporter
In Summary
The operation, aimed at halting large-scale poaching
in Katavi through identifying, arresting and prosecuting as many of the
syndicate members as possible and confiscating weapons, targeted 12 of
32 villages within the Katumba Refugee Camp
Dar es Salaam. A covert anti-poaching operation
that began early this year in Katavi has found a Pentecostal Church
involved in coordinating, storing and transporting ivory and arms.
In the ongoing operation dubbed: Spidenet,
conducted by a special unit under the Task Force of NTSCIU (National and
Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit) weapon manuals and a
new HF radio which was kept in a darkroom were found and seized at a
church.
According to a source closely working with the
special unit who preferred anonymity, two pastors were arrested but
later released and placed under surveillance.
“We have embarked on an intensive anti-poaching
covert operation, this time around focusing more on intelligence than
ad-hock operations such as the tainted “Tokomeza” that was halted after
alleged human rights abuse,” said the source.
Operation “Spidernet,” launched earlier this year,
has recorded a tremendous success only few months after it was
launched, indicating that Tanzania will eventually manage to control
rampant poaching that threatens the very existence of African jumbos
which have been killed for their tusks.
With appropriate technology to trace the culprits,
the operation began in Katavi National Park, involving a special unit
comprising personnel from the Task Force of NTSCIU, the Police Force,
Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF), Tanzania Intelligence and
Security Services (TISS), Immigration Department, Tanzania National
Parks Authority (Tanapa), the Wildlife Division and informers.
The operation, aimed at halting large-scale
poaching in Katavi through identifying, arresting and prosecuting as
many of the syndicate members as possible and confiscating weapons,
targeted 12 of 32 villages within the Katumba Refugee Camp.
The source close to the operation confided to The
Citizen that, almost 80 per cent of the arrested culprits were ex-Hutu
rebels from Burundi. “Those interrogated are ex soldiers (rebels), very
tough and do not want to reveal the location of weapons,” said the
source.
The operation is ongoing in Katavi and Ruaha
national parks as well as in the Selous Game Reserve, the source said,
adding that it focuses on gathering intelligence, identifying the
suspects, arresting and prosecuting them. “One of the major successes of
the operation is that we have at least arrested four big dealers and
over 40 facilitators whose cases were pending in court,” he added.
During the operation in Katavi, for instance, the
source said, over 100 firearms were found hidden in the bush near Katavi
National Park.
Success under Spidenet
During its preparation stage, the team had 70
personnel assembled at Ny
“The operation started mid January. Late in the night, the unit
drove 140km from Mlele to a temporary base just outside Katumba.
Vehicles went out from this base to different villages, conducted
arrests, dropped off arrested people at the base and went on to the next
village. Once each arrest operation was over, our teams and suspects
returned to Mlele for safety and for interrogation processes, taking
statements, and so on,” said the source.
According to the source, 95 people were arrested,
with no injuries, in the first 18 hours of the operation. Seven
firearms, including a rifle, sub-machine gun (SMG) and semi-automatic
weapon with 694 rounds of ammunition were seized. Also two vehicles and a
bus were seized. “One of the interesting things is that we also seized a
new HF radio which was kept in a darkroom in a church,” added the
source.
“Most of the arrested suspects confessed to be
involved in poaching and to be in illegal possession of firearms. In
February at Mpanda, 59 suspects were sentenced, ranging from one to
two-year jail terms or fined between Sh400,000 and Sh1,000,000. Eleven
accused persons were acquitted, but were placed under police supervision
for two years,” said the source.
According to the source, one interesting arrest
was of a man (name withheld), who was found with 43 tusks in December,
but escaped. “He is awaiting trial for that case with possible minimum
sentence of 20 years and a maximum of 30 years in jail and a fine
equivalent to the value of the tusks,” he added.
On December 3, three people were arrested with 43
pieces of ivory in the Katavi ecosystem. However, two of them managed to
escape, but later on, they were re-arrested during the Spidenet
operation.
In Ruaha, 9 people with 7 weapons and 36 bullets
were arrested in January, while in the following months, four people
were arrested with a rifle, 375 bullets and 24 pieces of ivory at
Madibira, Ruaha. The ongoing operation in the Selous managed to arrest
two suspects with 61 tusks in February. Three others were arrested
following investigation, the source said.
According to the source, one person (name withheld) and two dealers were arrested with ivory in February.
The arrests made under the operation revealed a
huge syndicate of ivory dealers, sending Tanzanian and Mozambique ivory
to Burundi. It is believed that they have facilitated the killing of
over 3,000 elephants. According to the source, three people, who were
involved in transporting ammunition from Katavi to Mozambique, were also
arrested. “They were caught with 500 rounds of ammunition, including
366 for SMG and 166 for G3,” he noted.
The source said confidently that with the ongoing
pace of the operation and the support by the government and other
stakeholders, within the next few years Tanzania will be in a position
to curb rampant poaching.
“Despite some challenges, I’m optimistic that we
will prevent poaching by 70 per cent if everyone plays his or her role
well,” he said.
“There are dishonest staff who derail
anti-poaching drives. For instance, during our operations, we found out
that there are local police officers and court staff who had to be
replaced,” he said. Among some challenges, he pointed out include lack
of modern facilities and specialised training to personnel from the
anti-poaching unit.
In the follow-up stage to the operation during
interrogation, many more names obtained from others involved in poaching
syndicates from which 22 more arrests were made including a suspect
(name withheld) at Manyovu border, who initially escaped arrest.
“Twelve were interrogated and taken to court
where their cases are pending while 10 had to be taken to Dar es Salaam
for further interrogation. One more arrest of a suspect, who escaped
from the refugee camp during the operation was made in Dar es Salaam. He
was found with 4 tusks,” he noted.
“In general, since the project started, we have 23
cases in court involving 106 people. 16 cases are at mention and
hearing stages, 6 at full hearing stage, one at hearing stage, while 59
accused persons were sentenced to between one and two years in jail or
fined. Those who are eligible to receive 20 to 30 year jail sentences
have their cases still waiting to be heard,” he added.
How poaching syndicates operate
According to the source, a unit of poaching
syndicate may involve a team of between 70 and 100 people who go into
the field for poaching, with dealers and facilitators as middlemen.
First, there is a reconnaissance team of 10 people with 5 weapons who go for survey and scouting for elephants.
Then there is a killing team that involves a
navigator, shooter, cooks, porters, and tusk removers. This could have
between 50 and 70 people with about 15 weapons. Then there is a rear
guard with about 10 people with 5 weapons.
The teams will stay in the field for about three
weeks to accomplish their ill-mission. According to the intelligence
gathered, the syndicates operate for years in various areas including
Ugalla, Moyowosi-Kigosi,Ruaha-Ruangwa and more recently in northern
Mozambique.
However, according to another source who is
closely involved in the operation, there is a need to tell the world of a
human side of poaching in Tanzania. “I think the human side of poaching
in Tanzania should be told. The ‘Mzungus’ (people from the West), will
only talk about criminals and the syndicate of Chinese dealers. In
Tanzania, a great part of those involved in poaching are poor people,
living in communities surrounding the parks,” he noted.
“Most of these people who went to the field are
ignorant and they do not actually know the implication of their actions.
They do it for a living. I mean, for a pay. Here, poverty is also a
driving factor. They risk their lives for as little as Sh20,000 per each
kilogramme of the tusk they bring to a dealer, probably living a
luxurious life in big cities,” explained the source.
According to him, a shooter is paid between
Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 for each kilogramme of a tusk of the elephant he
kills. One elephant tusk could weigh between 10kg and 15kg. A tusk
remover, who can take hardly five minutes to accomplish the job, is paid
Sh5,000 for each kilogramme of the tusk he removes. A porter, who has
to carry two tusks weighing about 30kg from the point where the elephant
was killed to where they hide the tusks before being transported to a
hideout, is paid between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000 for each kilogramme.
With all these expenses, it will not cost the
dealer more than Sh500,000 for a 15kg tusk while he will earn about Sh5
million after selling it to big dealers who export the tusks through
their syndicates.
“What we are focusing in this intelligence-led
operation is to identify and eventually dismantle these networks.
However, this requires a great deal of preparations, training of
personnel and modern facilities to successfully accomplish the mission,”
he said.
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