Mozambique jails six Tanzanian poachers

Six Tanzanian nationals have been sentenced to between eight and 11 years in Mozambique jails for poaching, the media confirmed.

The Mozambican O País newspaper quoted a statement from the National Administration Conservation Areas as saying the criminals were seized after a three-year investigation.

The Tanzanians, the O Pais reported, were sentenced alongside their two Mozambican accomplices.

The convicts' main target were elephants at the Niassa Nacional Reverse (NNR) since 2017, the paper said.

Mineral resources

NNR is located in northern Mozambique, with one of its boundaries, the Ruvuma River, bordering Tanzania.

Located some 1,516km north of Maputo, NNR is also rich in mineral resources.

The reserve covers more than 42,000-kmSq, and is considered of profound importance to the global conservation of African wildlife.

Last month, a Mozambican court at Mecula District in Niassa Province sentenced 10 Tanzanian nationals for illegal exploitation of natural resources at NNR.