JOHANNESBURG/DAR ES SALAAM: Elephant poachers in Tanzania fired on a helicopter on an anti-poaching mission and killed the British pilot. Tanzanian police have arrested three men in this case, a minister said.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Jumanne Maghembe pledged that any other suspects will be arrested in security operations after the attack in Maswa wildlife reserve, near Serengeti National Park.
Roger Gower, 37, was killed on Friday when his helicopter crashed after it was attacked during a patrol of the Maswa Game Reserve in northern Tanzania, close to the world famous Serengeti National Park.
“The suspects are in the hands of police,” the minister told AFP.
Gower’s South African colleague, safari guide Nicky Bester, leapt out of the helicopter midair as it crashed and was injured, according to a spokesman from the Tanzania’s National Parks, Pascal Shelutete.
“Three elephant carcasses that were found indicated that whoever shot the chopper down was on a serious illegal hunting spree,” Shelutete said, adding such poachers can be “heavily armed with sophisticated military weaponry”.
Photographs of the crashed helicopter show twisted metal, as well as apparent bullet holes in the fuselage, and smears of blood on the pilot’s seat.
It was not immediately clear if Gower was killed by the gunshots or when the helicopter crashed.
“The suspected poachers shot the helicopter which was on surveillance at a remote game reserve,” Maghembe added. “This is a sad incident. We will continue with the war against poachers... these are cruel criminals.”
Ivory is sought out for jewellery and decorative objects and much of it is smuggled to China, where many increasingly wealthy shoppers are buying ivory trinkets as a sign of financial success.
It is estimated that more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks every year.
The wildlife charity Gower worked for confirmed his death.
“Roger was killed while piloting a helicopter during a coordinated effort with the Tanzanian wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant poachers,” said a statement from Dan Friedkin, chairman of the Friedkin Conservation Fund.
“In the course of this action, the poachers fired upon the helicopter and Roger was fatally wounded.”
Conservation officials appealed for help in catching the culprits.
“These people killing elephants in our conservation areas live in the neighbourhood, and those with information should come forward,” Shelutete added.
“We all need to work together to end the killings of elephants and people fighting poaching.”
Lazaro Nyalandu, a former minister of tourism and natural resources, wrote on Twitter that Gower was killed by AK-47 assault rifle fire.
“You loved our country and I knew you on many flights we took together,” Nyalandu wrote.
A co-pilot survived with injuries, Tanzanian authorities said.
Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the death of a Briton in Tanzania and said it was “providing assistance to the family at this difficult time.”
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Poachers kill wildlife pilot, arrested
Poachers kill wildlife pilot, arrested
Trump to preside over first meeting of Board of Peace with many Gaza questions unresolved
- Trump’s Board of Peace excludes Palestinian representatives
- $5 billion raised for Gaza reconstruction fund, UAE and Kuwait contribute
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will preside over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday with unresolved questions on the future of Gaza hanging over an event expected to include representatives from more than 45 nations. The disarmament of Hamas militants, the size of the reconstruction fund and the flow of humanitarian aid to the war-battered populace of Gaza are among the major questions likely to test the effectiveness of the board in the weeks and months ahead. Trump is to address the group at the Donald J. Trump US Institute of Peace — a building in Washington the president recently renamed for himself — and announce that participating nations have raised $5 billion for the reconstruction fund.
The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is expected to be $1.2 billion each from two of Washington’s Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a US official told Reuters.
Trump’s Board of Peace has been controversial. It includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the UN’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Senior US officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza.
Disarming Hamas militants in order for the peacekeepers to begin their mission remains a major sticking point, and the force is not expected to deploy for weeks or months.
The Palestinian group Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.
“We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” a senior administration official said.
MOST SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT ATTENDING
Delegations from 47 countries plus the European Union are expected to attend the event, US officials said. The list includes Israel and a wide array of countries from Albania to Vietnam.
It does not, however, include permanent United Nations Security Council members like France, Britain, Russia and China.
Speakers at the event are expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role in the board, US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees.
A member of the peace board, who declined to be named, said the Gaza plan faces formidable obstacles. Establishing security in the enclave is a precondition for progress in other areas, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained, said the official.
The official added that a key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas. The peace board’s representatives could do so with countries that have influence over Hamas — notably Qatar and Turkiye — but Israel is deeply skeptical of both.
Another major issue is the flow of aid, which the official described as “disastrous” and in urgent need of scaling up. Even if aid surges in, it remains unclear who will distribute it, the official said.
The money is expected to be a down payment on a fund that will likely need many more billions. Included in the $5 billion is expected to be $1.2 billion each from two of Washington’s Gulf Arab allies, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, a US official told Reuters.
Trump’s Board of Peace has been controversial. It includes Israel but not Palestinian representatives and Trump’s suggestion that the Board could eventually address challenges beyond Gaza has stirred anxiety that it could undermine the UN’s role as the main platform for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Senior US officials said Trump will also announce that several nations are planning to send thousands of troops to participate in an International Stabilization Force that will help keep the peace in Gaza.
Disarming Hamas militants in order for the peacekeepers to begin their mission remains a major sticking point, and the force is not expected to deploy for weeks or months.
The Palestinian group Hamas, fearful of Israeli reprisals, has been reluctant to hand over weaponry as part of Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan that brought about a fragile ceasefire last October in the two-year Gaza war.
“We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” a senior administration official said.
MOST SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NOT ATTENDING
Delegations from 47 countries plus the European Union are expected to attend the event, US officials said. The list includes Israel and a wide array of countries from Albania to Vietnam.
It does not, however, include permanent United Nations Security Council members like France, Britain, Russia and China.
Speakers at the event are expected to include Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is expected to have a senior role in the board, US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, and High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, among other attendees.
A member of the peace board, who declined to be named, said the Gaza plan faces formidable obstacles. Establishing security in the enclave is a precondition for progress in other areas, but the police force is neither ready nor fully trained, said the official.
The official added that a key unresolved question is who would negotiate with Hamas. The peace board’s representatives could do so with countries that have influence over Hamas — notably Qatar and Turkiye — but Israel is deeply skeptical of both.
Another major issue is the flow of aid, which the official described as “disastrous” and in urgent need of scaling up. Even if aid surges in, it remains unclear who will distribute it, the official said.
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