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April 20th, 2024 | 7:50 AM ET

No Longer a Conservation Issue

Posted: November 30th, 2015

By Ian James Saunders

Ian James Saunders is the Co-Founder of the Tsavo Trust and Tsavo Conservation Group.

Much has been written about the connection between the illegal ivory trade and the Somali al-Qaeda franchise, al-Shabaab. Some experts claim that a substantial amount of al-Shabaab’s funding is derived from the slaughter of East Africa’s elephants, while others say conservationists are hyping up such claims in order to raise funds. Is there some truth to both sides?

Certain patterns in terrorist financing run true across the geopolitical spectrum. Terrorist organizations frequently “hijack” and exploit existing local criminal activities to fund their operations.  The way terrorist organizations work is both intangible and transient. Not only is it difficult to combat them, but also to categorically prove the origins of their illegally generated revenue, track their funding, and ascertain how funds are spent. To add to this complexity, the lines between organized criminal and terrorist funding can blur and, in many cases, overlap.

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