Corrupt Anti-Poaching Campaign Fails To Process Over 300 Cases

<p>Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vinothchandar/" style="font-size: 15px;">VinothChandar</a></p>
<p>Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vinothchandar/" style="font-size: 15px;">VinothChandar</a></p>

After a massive anti-poaching campaign that was riddled with corruption and failed policies, Tanzania has reported that of the 516 cases filed against suspected poachers in Tanzanian courts, only 198 have been processed. The campaign, called Operation Tokomeza, has been widely criticized as a failure. The operation included wildlife officers conducting interrogations that violated human rights, reports AllAfrica.

The operation was suspended following a report by a Parliamentary Committee which probed the allegations of human rights abuse and barbaric actions on the part of the implementers of Operation Tokomeza, and it came out with blood chilling revelations confirming the allegations and more.

Now, the program has been reinstated and reformed, and is giving "special priority" to the more than 300 cases remaining.

"The judiciary, being a key stakeholder in the fight against crime, in particular poaching, supports the operation, but through a strict observance of justice," said Tanzania's Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman.