Central Africa: Thousands of elephants are being slaughtered throughout central Africa to supply Sudan's booming ivory market, according to a study published by conservationists yesterday.
Dr Esmond Martin, who conducted the survey, said Sudanese government troops were responsible for killing elephants or aiding the transportation of ivory from the country's borders to the bazaars of its capital.
Investigators from Care for the Wild International found more than 11,000 ivory figurines, pendants and cigarette holders on sale in dozens of souvenir shops in Khartoum.
They estimate that some 6,000 to 12,000 elephants are being culled to satisfy demand.
He said most tusks originated from elephants poached recently in southern Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a series of civil wars made protection of wildlife impossible.
His report also blames Janjaweed militia - who are fighting alongside government troops against rebels in Darfur - for poaching sorties into northern DRC. "Khartoum has become one of the largest ivory markets in the world," said Dr Martin.
"In Africa, it is one of the few that has been increasing in size since the late 1990s. The ivory was on sale openly in 50 shops, but that is only what we found. People have stuff at home or under the counter that we did not see."
The survey found that ivory prices had doubled in Sudan during the past eight years as demand increased and world supply decreased. In 1997, a kilogram of unworked ivory cost $45 (€34). Today the price is $105 (€78).
Some of the raw ivory is destined for carvers in Cairo or Asia, added Dr Martin.
However, he said the largest market for ivory carvings was Sudan's growing army of expat Chinese workers.
"More than 75 per cent of all the ivory being bought is bought by Chinese people, according to the traders I interviewed," he said. "They are even responsible for new items being made, including name seals and chopsticks."
The number of Chinese workers has increased to about 5,000 during the past decade, as the emerging Asian powerhouse has increased its investment in Sudan's mining and oil industries.
There are no reliable figures for the elephant population in Sudan. The most recent figures suggest numbers declined from 133,000 in 1979 to 40,000 in 1992.
Africa's population of elephants was halved between 1979 and 1989, largely as the result of poaching.
Numbers have recovered among some southern African nations since 1990, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)banned the international trade in ivory. Licensed shopkeepers are allowed to sell items carved from ivory culled before the ban was imposed.
However, Dr Martin said almost all the ivory on sale was carved from new tusks and that government inspections were non-existent.
Sudan and other African states with elephant populations have until the end of the month to comply with CITES ivory trade controls. The country faces restrictions on its trade in protected species if it fails to show it has control of its domestic market.
Barbara Maas, chief executive of Care for the Wild International, said there were simple lessons to be learned from the survey. "They include the absolute need for African countries to recognise the global nature of the illegal ivory trade and to put in place national legislation that complements rather than undermines international wildlife protection laws," she said.
"Once in place this legislation must be backed up by uncompromising law enforcement."
She also called on China to ensure that its nationals were aware that buying and importing ivory was illegal.
The investigators also found rhino horn, crocodile and other products from endangered species on sale in Khartoum, despite international bans on trade in such products.