Charcoal Trade Persists in West Nile Despite Presidential Ban

Three years after President Museveni outlawed the commercial charcoal business in northern Uganda, the illegal trade remains rampant in the West Nile region, raising significant concerns about the effectiveness of the ban and its enforcement. Reports indicate that traders are increasingly utilizing motorcycles, hidden routes, and roadside collection points to transport charcoal, bypassing established security checkpoints.

Security leaders recently convened in Arua City to strategize on strengthening enforcement against defiant charcoal dealers. However, the renewed efforts are challenged by the pervasive use of motorcycles to move charcoal in small, manageable quantities from production sites to assembly points. From these points, larger consignments are then loaded onto trucks for distribution to markets outside the region.

While law enforcement officials, including the West Nile Regional Police spokesperson Josephine Angucia, have pledged collaboration with forestry officers and judicial bodies to enforce the directive with zero tolerance for corruption, activists argue that enforcement efforts are disproportionately targeting low-level transporters. Environmental advocates suggest that the focus should shift towards dismantling the sophisticated networks that finance and organize the trade.

Environmental activists like Moses Banduga from the Save the Shea Nut Foundation in Yumbe District highlight that motorcycle riders are easily replaceable, questioning the intelligence gathering of security agencies. He points to shifting routes, such as a corridor from Mount Kei through Obongi, where charcoal is reportedly transported via ferry. The Criminal Investigations Directorate has dispatched a team to assess enforcement effectiveness, review cases, and follow up on complaints, acknowledging the continued activity around key forest areas and cross-border routes.

Environmental groups are calling for sustained operations that target financiers and major dealers, advocating for intelligence-led actions rather than sporadic arrests. The illicit charcoal trade operates through an organized value chain, involving producers, transporters, collection points, and truck owners, making it a complex challenge to disrupt. While enforcement intensifies, concerns remain about the threats faced by environmental campaigners in the region.

Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/charcoal-trade-thrives-in-west-nile-despite-ban-5629956