Somalia’s Charcoal Trade Killing Trees, Funding Terrorists: UN

Efforts to curb Somalia’s illicit exports of charcoal, whose production is damaging the environment, should include promoting alternative energy sources and fuel-efficient stoves, delegates at an international conference in Mogadishu said.

Peter de Clercq, the United Nations resident humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, sounded the alarm about the environmental devastation caused by the charcoal trade. Between 2011 and 2017, more than 8 million trees were cut down to make charcoal, he said.

“In Somalia, every 30 seconds a tree is cut down to make charcoal,” Clercq said.

The U.N. Security Council banned charcoal exports from Somalia in ...