EDITORIAL COMMENT
THE new tiff between Zimbabwe and global animal rights activists over the sale of ivory from the southern African country presents a curious scenario, but particularly points to Zimbabwe’s long tradition of violations of international conventions.
It is somewhat infantile for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to threaten to pull Zimbabwe out of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) simply because the country has not been able to sell some of its “excess” ivory to get some foreign currency against the grim backdrop of a shrinking economy.
While it is understandable that the country needs some money for wildlife conservation purposes, wherein it would make sense to raise that money through the sale of excess ivory, lack of accountability over the years would make it impossible to succeed along that route.
Other important issues could be increased animal-human conflict in areas where wildlife abounds, and animals may end up invading communities and destroying crops in search of food due to their increased population.
But the fact that Mnangagwa has failed to meet an array of targets for reform by the West after he indicated that he wanted re–engagement following the fall of his predecessor Robert Mugabe in 2017, makes it impossible for the international community to believe that the money from ivory sales would be used for the intended purposes.
The crude attack on the Geneva-based CITES – whose members he claimed wanted to superintend over Africa’s wildlife because they have destroyed their own – is likely to further strain relations with the West. It would be wise to take every step possible to avoid such conflicts.
The country may be sitting on millions of dollars worth of ivory, but it is going to be impossible to sell it off because many of the countries that may be potential buyers are also members of CITES and bound by its conventions. So, this places Zimbabwe between a rock and a hard place.
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In view of this, it may be ideal for government to find amicable ways of engaging CITES and demonstrate that their intentions are noble, if indeed they are. Spewing out threats of leaving CITES are unhelpful, especially for a country that is in desperate need of friends from all round.
