March 1999

Kenya, the Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia agreed to create an international police agency that will fight against wildlife crime in the region.

Central Africa.  Image Credit: CIA.

Currently, no such international organizations exist anywhere in the world.  The African group will be the first international agency with the task of fighting poachers.

Located at the Kenya Wildlife Service in Nairobi, the Task Force will fight against poaching and the international trade in illegal animal products.  The nations that formed the agreement hope to be able to eliminate these illegal activities in the area.

Animals such as rhinos and elephants are being hunted heavily by poachers in Africa for their ivory.  Many other animals that command a high price on illegal international markets are also threatened.

Tanzania was the first country to contribute to the new Task Force.  Other countries will also make their contributions, and each country will supply police officers to the group.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora was designed to protect endangered wildlife, and the new Task Force will be instrumental in enforcing the regulations.

Officially, the Task Force was created under the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations.