Profiting from rebellion: Inside ‘blood timber’ traffickers network in Gambia

Trafficking of timber is a multi-million dollar business that sustains a rebellion in Casamance, southern Senegal. In this investigation, Malagen exposes how a band of smugglers and business people in the Gambia, some of them politically connected, continue to profit from the illicit trade in what has become known as ‘blood timber’. The government is complicit. At the expense of lives and livelihoods, the presidency and environment ministry often waive the rules and authorise illegal export of timber in the name of ‘maximising revenue’ for the government.