French Cameroun: Biya regime arrests over 50 timber traffickers in Far North Region ⁰

Security forces in Cameroon’s Far North Region have arrested over 50 traffickers of timber, the region’s governor Midjiyawa Bakari has said.

The traffickers were notorious for felling trees in Waza National Park, a national park located in the region, Bakari said on Monday.

“These are people who make a living out of felling trees and producing charcoal; foreigners are involved. They cut the trees, produce charcoal and sell in Cameroon and abroad, and this activity has negatively impacted the park,” Bakari told Xinhua by phone.

The traffickers were arrested thanks to the collaboration of armed local vigilante groups, officials said while presenting them to the press. It is unclear how much amount of wood was seized during the operation that lasted for a week.

Authorities banned charcoal-making activities in the ecologically fragile region in 2001, authorizing only the cutting of dead wood.

Source: Xinhaunet