The three officials were connected to either the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, a semi-government body that manages the DRC's protected areas under the Ministry of Environment, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or both.
"As public officials responsible for wildlife protection, they abused their public positions by trafficking chimpanzees, gorillas, okapi and other protected wildlife from the DRC, primarily to the People's Republic of China, using falsified permits, in return for bribes," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Wednesday.
"Their corrupt, transnational criminal actions not only undermined rule of law and government transparency in the DRC but also long-standing wildlife conservation efforts."
The officials were identified as Cosma Wilungula Balongelwa, the former director general of the ICCN; Leonard Muamba Kanda, the ICCN's director and former head of the DRC Management Authority for CITES; and Augustin Ngumbi Amuri, a ICCN legal advisor and the director-coordinator of the DRC CITES management authority.
The State Department was also designating Kanda's wife, Rose Nsele Ngokali, and Wilungula's wife, Esther Mwanga Wilungula, making them ineligible for entry into the United States.
Miller described the move as a demonstration of the United States standing with those in the DRC "who work to disrupt wildlife trafficking and promote accountability for corrupt officials and transnational criminals.
"These designations also reaffirm the United States' commitment to combat corruption, which harms the public interest, hampers countries' economic prosperity and curtails the ability of governments to respond effectively to the needs of their people," he said.
New species of snake found in Peru named after Harrison Ford
Lima (AFP) Aug 17, 2023 -
Scientists working in Peru have named a new species of snake after Harrison Ford in honor of the "Indiana Jones" actor's support for conservation work.
The 40 cm (16 inch) reptile was first discovered in May 2022 in the jungle mountains of Otishi National Park, San Marcos National University said Wednesday.
But it was not until now that researchers concluded it was indeed a previously unknown species.
This creature is a yellowish-brown color, with black spots, a black belly and copper eyes.
It has been given the scientific name Tachymenoides harrisonfordi.
The snake was first found by a team led by Edgar Lehr, a US-German biologist.
It is now named after Ford because he is active in environmental issues, Lehr told AFP from the state of Illinois.
"I found out that Harrison Ford agreed to have his name used via a consultation that Conservation International made", he added, referring to an NGO.
He said the snake was discovered in an area that is only accessible by helicopter.
"It took us seven days to find it," said Lehr.
The snake is harmless to adult humans but it is good at hunting toads and lizards, he added.
Lehr led a team of researchers from San Marcos National University, Florida International University and Illinois Wesleyan University.
Salamandra, the German Journal of Herpetology, published on Tuesday a study on the discovery of the snake.
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