Windhoek, 7 May 2024: Operation SAMA (Saving African Wildlife through Multilateral Assistance) has resulted in 104 confiscations of African endangered species products across 19 countries in 2024 , with related arrests and prosecutions of offenders.
Supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Operation SAMA brought together 35 countries and is the first Africa-focused operation on wildlife trafficking entirely coordinated by Customs authorities in the continent.
Of the confiscated species, 69 per cent are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), including products from elephants, birds, pangolins, monkeys, gazelles, tortoises, and more.
“Operation SAMA tells us that wildlife trafficking in Africa is still happening on a regular basis and it goes beyond trade in iconic species,” said Hanny Cueva-Beteta, Head of the UNODC Environment Team. “This is an alarm bell for all of us and it reminds us that we need to redouble our efforts to build a transnational response.”
52 per cent of the seizures were intercepted while being transported domestically, while 27 per cent of the products were intercepted at the export stage. A further 19 per cent of the products were seized at the import stage, and 3 per cent during transit.
Intelligence investigations accounted for 44 per cent of the detected trafficked products. Routine control procedures found 33 per cent of the species detected, and risk profiling 14 per cent. Random checks accounted for the remaining 9 per cent of seizures.
“In Namibia, Operation SAMA has stimulated cooperation at both the domestic and international levels,” said Sam Sivute, Commissioner of Namibia Revenue Authority. “The high number of criminal cases intercepted in Namibia and the involvement of foreign nationals indicate that continued cooperation is needed.”
“With Operation SAMA, we have seen several successes but also some challenges,” added Ibrahim Njoya Njimoluh, Director of WCO’s Regional Intelligence Liaison Office in Central Africa. “However, it is undeniable that it prompted a cooperation among Customs authorities in Africa like we have never seen before in the fight against wildlife trafficking”
Following the encouraging pilot phase of Operation SAMA, all parties involved in the Operation Coordination Unit have agreed to continue the initiative, with an emphasis on promotion of joint-investigation and prosecution of transboundary criminal networks. Members committed to collaborate on Operation SAMA II and planning is already underway.
The name of the operation is an homage to Mr. Etienne Sama II, former director of the WCO Regional Intelligence and Liaison Office for Central Africa and the Great Lakes, who was passionate about combating wildlife crime but left us too soon on the night of 4th September 2022.
Please read more on Operation SAMA here.
