A new report has debunked the argument that the illegal wildlife trade in East Africa significantly funds terrorism - an exaggeration used to justify the militarization of anti-poaching squads and the persecution of tribal subsistence hunters.
The report titled "An Illusion of Complicity: Terrorism and the Illegal Ivory Trade in East Africa" was launched by former U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague on Tuesday and concluded that, in the case of terrorist group Al Shabaab, evidence for its participation is "extremely limited and controversial", adding that any involvement is "dwarfed by organized criminal networks and corrupt officials across East Africa ... "
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