Nairobi: African Union Proposal Calling For Suspension On Horrifying Donkey Skin Trade Welcomed

• The Assembly of Heads of States and Governments will now consider the report's recommendations before adopting them in February 2024
• The new report draws attention to the startling decrease in the number of donkeys in Africa as a result of the donkey skin trade
• Raphael Kinoti from Brooke East Africa said they are happy that the Committee acknowledged the socioeconomic value of donkeys to African livelihoods

Dennis Lubanga, a Kenyan journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than 10 years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Nairobi - The African Union has endorsed a report that promotes a ban on the trade in donkey skins.

The Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment, which is made up of ministers and senior officials from member states in charge of those ministries in their respective nations, endorsed the report during its 5th Ordinary Session.

The Assembly of Heads of States and Governments will now consider the report's recommendations before adopting them in February 2024.

What's the title of the African Union report

The International Coalition for Working Equids (ICWE), which is made up of Brooke, The Donkey Sanctuary, SPANA (the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad), and World Horse Welfare, worked with the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) to produce the report "Donkeys in Africa Now and In The Future."

It draws attention to the startling decrease in the number of donkeys in Africa as a result of the donkey skin trade.

Thousands of donkeys have been killed and exported for their skins within the past ten years.

The trade has hurt the livelihoods of those who depend on donkeys as well as the total population of donkeys in Africa.

The trade is mostly driven by the demand from China for traditional Chinese medicine.

According to Raphael Kinoti, Regional Director of Brooke East Africa:

"This is so important for communities in Africa and their donkeys, who suffer unimaginable cruelty driven by this insatiable demand for their skins."

Why African donkeys should be protected

Kinoti said that they are happy that the Committee acknowledged the socioeconomic value of donkeys to African livelihoods.

"We sincerely hope that all African nations will abide by this ruling and put an end this vice in order to protect this piece of natural heritage and the livelihoods it sustains," Kinoti added.

Regional Campaigns and Advocacy Manager (Africa) for The Donkey Sanctuary, Otieno Mtula, said:

"The adoption of this report at the special technical committee session of the African Union last week is a critical and significant milestone on the way to protecting Africa's donkey populations and the communities that rely on them."

Mtula observed that the fact that it will be discussed by the African Union's Executive Council in February 2024 is evidence of the issue's urgency as well as the teamwork of all those who have devoted countless hours to raising it to the forefront.

"We are confident that the Executive Council of the African Union will acknowledge the threat to economic, humanitarian, and welfare standards posed by the donkey skin trade, as well as the valuable role that donkeys play in sustainable economic growth, as a result of the decision made at the special technical committee session last week," Mtula added.

TUKO.co.ke understands that the Executive Council will also commit to a pan-African strategy and a moratorium on the slaughter of donkeys for their skins.

On her part, Chief Executive of SPANA Linda Edwards said:

"This is a critical step towards ending the horrific donkey skin trade across Africa. We hope that the Committee's proposals for a moratorium will result in the trade of working donkeys and the communities they serve is permanently stopped, as it is very promising that this is moving forward."

Why donkeys should be included national policies

Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Chief Executive, said:

"We welcome the African Union's proposal to further include donkeys in national animal resource development policies and plans, as they play a vital role in communities and livelihoods around the world, including in Africa."

With assistance from ICWE, AU-IBAR organised a side event during the session to present the report.

How the African Union report was formulated

Along with delegates from the Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania, ministers from Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Somalia, and Uganda attended.

The report was developed as a component of the Pan African Donkey Conference in Tanzania in 2022, which was organised by AU-IBAR and supported by ICWE and Brooke, the secretariat.

The historic Dar es Salaam proclamation, which asked the African Union Commission to impose a continental ban on the donkey skin trade for at least 15 years, was signed here by government officials from several African nations.

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported that police launched a manhunt for three men suspected of slaughtering seven donkeys in Kiahiti village in the Gatune sub-location.

In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) stated that they found seven carcasses of the beast of burden skinned and ready for sale.

DCI stated that they had intelligence on the group's actions and had set up a dragnet ready to act on the three individuals.