The deaths of elephants and rhinos in many Africa preserves are blamed on bands of armed gunmen as well as rogue units of national armies from Sudan, the Central African Republic, Uganda and other countries.
Militias Finance Africa's Unrest with Elephant Tusks
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SELEKA Conservation experts report evidence that non-state militias of Seleka forces recently killed at least 26 elephants in Central African Republic's Sangha Mbaere reserve. Armed fighters face a photographer at a Seleka base in Bambari on May 31, 2014.
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Un militaire norvégien regarde les migrants sur le navire Siem Pilot dans le port de Messine, Sicile, 6 octobre 2015 (Nicolas Pinault/VOA).
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JANJAWEED Mounted horsemen from Sudan's feared paramilitary are primary suspects in the slaughter of up to 100 elephants far to the west in Mali and in Cameroon's Bouba Njida national park. A Darfur Arab nomad photographed in 2007 in Bindisi, Sudan, is believed to be a member of the furtive Janjaweed.
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M23 During two years of civil war, units of M23 rebels sought haven in Virunga National Park where officials say they fueled regional violence against civilians, hippos and game wardens. M23 fighters sat under guard (above) near Goma during a November 2013 negotiated settlement with the Democratc Republic of Congo.
