- Sudanese government has uncovered a major illicit ivory trade seizing over 470 pieces and arresting a number of suspects.
In a statement, the interior ministry said the suspects used a commercial premises as cover for its illicit ivory trade and other antiquities.
A total of 309 ivory sculptures, 147 bracelets, 21 vases, and bags of other items were seized by Sudan.
Except in exceptional circumstances, an international law banned the sale of ivory in 1989. A sharp fall in the world's elephant population, mainly due to poaching for lucrative tasks and the gradual destruction of the habitat, had prompted the enactment of the laws.
An estimated 553, 973 elephans wer alive in Africa, compared to 1.2 million in the late 1970s.
Ivory trade is still enjoying lucrative deal in the world market. Much of the raw materials orginate from the nieghbouring countries, particlarly the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.