UGANDA: AFRICAN LEADERS LACK NATIONAL NEEDS PUSHING COMMUNITIES TO MORTGAGING ENVIRONMENT CHEAPLY TO MAKE END MEET.

As Uganda commemorate world environmental day, environmental activists warns and caution environmental degradation to stop charcoal burning and tree cutting, particularly attention has to paid to the challenge raised.

Our trees we need answer, will continue to champion this cause and will step up their campaign in the ear of COVID-19 where some individuals and charcoal traders (large scale) continue to engage in these nefarious activities.  

UGANDA: Auther Owor  Coordinator for Oxford University and environmental activist championing campaign to stop trees and charcoal burning in Northern Uganda , “Our trees we need answers joins the world in commemorating this day amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Argues that we take this opportunity to continue to highlight gains and challenges on the environmental justice front in Acholiland as follows:

“We have been able to champion the cause for environmental justice and have spearheaded the environmental justice, network. We have raised attention to the wide spread devastation and degradation of the environment manifested in massive cutting of trees for charcoal production and also illegal logging.

We have been able to name and shame key political and cultural leaders involved in this illicit trade, we traversed the entire Acholi Sub Region and engaged in community forums across East and West Acholi in the sub counties of Odom, Palabek, Pajule, Palaro, Odek, Lalogi, Awach, Paibona, Pabbo Center, Pogo, Atyiak Center, Okidi, Lungulu and Anaka Town Council among others. These were well attended by locals and leaders alike.

Additionally, we made a presentation at the Acholi Cultural Festival from where were able to share some of the our findings with eminent leaders from Acholi Sub Region including the Paramount Chief of Acholi, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Chief Justice among others.

We conducted over 50 radio talk shows across the sub region. These programmes ranged from talk shows to live debates, we are grateful to the radio stations. TV stations as well as newspaper and their management and a wide array of international news platforms who helped amplify the voices from there have been glowing achievements and challenges.

We are happy to announce that that the key actors like the army have since taken up the message and prevailed on errant officers and men perpetrating environmental injustice.

They have joined the campaign in carrying institutional greening in the sub-county, we have continued to expose the exploitative value chain and have urged our local communities to take control to ensure the proceeds go to them OTWNA has also been able to engage key officers like district local government and government ministries to expose the levels of environmental impunity in the Acholi sub-region.

We have joined in international and region efforts through conferences to present our on-ground finding unattractive in a situation where communities are now vigilant and carry on neighborhood and environment watch.

The challenges are numerous:

Local governments continue to profiteer from large scale charcoal production as they issues permits and licenses, this contributes to 70% of their local revenue. The police are easily compromised and have been weak link in this campaign, hot spots like Atyiak, Palaro, Awach, Paibona and Pajule are still witness unprecedented levels of environmental devastation.

CSOs and NGOs in the region still pay minimal attention to the fact that valuable and native tree species should be protected. They opt to run campaign to plant non-indigenous tree like pines and eucalyptus which have adverse effort on the soil.

There are eminent lack of coordination among key government agencies like NFA, URA, URA, NEMA and district local governments. Logs from border points are cleared without proper verification (regarding the source). NFA and NEMA are experiencing glaring staffing concerns (understaffed)

There are issues with carbon emission, Gulu has recently been declared a city. City planners and leaders do not seem to appreciate the fact we should benchmark, other cities putting efforts at controlling emissions. There are absolutely no plans for cyclers and bikers in the city to be.

Poverty is pushing our communities to the edge, they are mortgaging trees and their land cheaply to makes ends meet. There is no economic leadership being provided by leaders at the various levels.

There are also complaints of illegal loggers being armed akin to some balaalo pastoralists in the region. Security concerns have been raised by local government leaders to this effect.

As we commemorate this day, we would like to caution that particular attention has to be paid to the challenge raised. Our Tree we need Answers will continue to champion this cause and will step up our campaign in this era of COVID-19 where some individuals and charcoal traders (large scale) continue to engage in these nefarious activities.”

However, there are under line issues to be address, 4^th Division Commander Bridger Bonny Bamweskai put the ban on charcoal dealer and tree cutting in Northern Uganda. What is the way forward after the post COVID-19? This a big question that need to be address by our trees we need answer.

Susan Akanyo Omoro District Residence Commissioner also alleged that the former Charcoal dealer have changed method of their business, now they have moved out of tree cutting, now they are running business in most of the trading Center. Places like Acet Town Board and other trading Center.