South Sudan: More than a ton of Asia-bound ivory seized

JUBA, South Sudan – A South Sudanese wildlife official says more than a ton of ivory was seized this week at the airport in the capital, Juba.

Brig. Gen. Khamis Adieng Ding, spokesperson for the National Wildlife Service, said Friday that the ivory was hidden in a consignment marked as "food" that arrived on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Uganda.

Ding said a Ugandan and a South Sudanese have been arrested over the illicit cargo, which was to be transported to Malaysia on an EgyptAir flight.

There was no immediate comment from wildlife officials in Uganda.

Lamine Sebogo of the World Wildlife Fund said the seizure "is a reminder of the scale of the ongoing poaching crisis" in Africa.

Animal conservationists say higher demand for ivory, especially in Asia, is fueling elephant killings.