Zambia pushes for return of seized ivory

Zambia is pressing to get back its 6.5 tonnes of ivory from a Nairobi-based task force after the illegal trophies were seized in Singapore.

Zambia’s Tourism, Environment and Natural resources minister Catherine Namugala has written to the Lusaka Agreement Task Force demanding retrieval of the ivory that was confiscated about eight years ago.

It is believed to have been extracted from elephants poached in Zambia, then taken to Malawi and finally Singapore.

“I can confirm that 6.5 tonnes of ivory is indeed in Kenya in the custody of the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement of Operations Task Force.

There is ivory worth 6.5 tonnes that was seized in Singapore and it was traced back to Zambia. In May this year, I wrote to the director asking him to release the ivory to us,” Ms Namugala said. She said the matter had been pending since 2002.

“But we are hoping that having written to them now, with the follow-up using our mission in Kenya, we will get some resolutions before the end of the year, she said.

After a tip-off, the Zambia Wildlife Authority, in conjunction with its sister agency in Malawi, investigated the ivory syndicate and seized a container with 6.5 tonnes of ivory in Singapore on June 29, 2002.