Gov’t cracks down on illegal logging in Northern Bahr el Ghazal

JUBA – The Minister for Agriculture and Forestry in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state, Anei Deng Akok, has issued a stern warning to residents against rampant tree cutting, which he believes is contributing to climate change and disrupting weather patterns.

Akok, speaking to journalists in Aweil Town on Thursday, expressed his alarm at the increasing rate of deforestation, which he attributed to a combination of economic desperation and lax enforcement of forestry regulations.

“We are surprised by the level of tree destruction as a result of lack of means for survival,” Akok said.

He revealed that some individuals granted permission to cut down a limited number of trees for construction purposes often exceed their quotas, resulting in the indiscriminate felling of both timber and fruit trees.

“Some people come to us and request for 5 trees which they need to cut down to obtain the timbers for construction and we surprisingly learn afterward that they exceed those numbers. This is so weird and is not part of conserving the environment,” Akok said.

He further condemned the practice of burning vast areas of vegetation, which destroys grazing land and leaves cattle vulnerable to food shortages.

“They go deep to the forest, load the trucks with timbers and head to the markets straight away. This is not something we have to advocate and support. It is part of damaging the cover of forests we have, and it leads to deforestation which causes climatic change,” Akok said.

He pledges that his ministry will work hard to apprehend such people who are going extreme in logging and urges the public to seek approval with limited number given.

While welcoming the minister’s initiative, resident Marko Madut Garang expressed skepticism about its effectiveness, alleging that some ministry officials are collaborating with timber buyers and facilitating illegal logging.

“I welcome the move of the ministry, but I criticize it as I allege that some of the directors in the ministry collaborate with the buyers and come and sell at the back door or in secret,” Garang claimed.

He urged the ministry to take concrete steps to address this issue and enforce stricter regulations to protect the state’s forests.