Caxito – Laws on wildlife crime in Angola are still very lenient, compared to other countries in the SADC region
Such situations do not discourage people who persist in committing these crimes, Chief Superintendent Emílio Sebastião Pimentel Ribeiro said Monday in Caxito, at the Multisectoral Workshop on Wildlife Crimes.
He said, for example, that in Namibia and South Africa, environmental crime is punished with severe penalties ranging from 15 to 20 years in prison, while in Angola it is up to 7 years.
The trainer stressed that wildlife crime in Angola is a reality and its fight cannot be only of the Defense and Security Agencies.
To this end, he defended the education of the population, transmission of the importance of species of fauna and flora, bringing together all the agencies that are in the scope of law enforcement to standardize this fight.
In turn, the Coordinator of Public Magistrates (MP) at the SIC in Bengo, Irondino Muxiri defended greater involvement of various sectors in the fight agains
t the illegal wildlife trade in Angola.
He said that matters on wildlife crime are not dealt with in law schools in the country, which has created many difficulties in dealing with gender-based cases.
According to the director of the provincial Environment Office, Janice Muanamalongo, the province of Bengo is increasingly preparing to be equipped and respond to this situation.
He said that Bengo has recorded cases of poaching in several municipalities with the sale of wild animals along the road, and advocated greater protection of wildlife in order to protect the ecosystem.
Promoted by the PGR in partnership with the SIC, the National Police and the Association for Conservation and Conscious Preservation (ACPC), the three-day Multisectoral Workshop aims to provide the Bodies of the Justice Sector with substantial knowledge to combat crimes against wildlife.
Source: Angola Press News Agency