8 Arrested as Police Intensify Crackdown on Illegal Charcoal Trade in West Nile

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that eight people were arrested in Uganda’s West Nile Sub-region during a joint operation against the illegal charcoal trade. The operation, carried out on 25 July 2026 in Madi Okollo District and nearby areas, targeted suspected charcoal production, transport and commercial dealing. Police said 72 bags of charcoal were seized and kept as exhibits at Madi Okollo Police Station.

According to the report, Police Spokesperson ACP Rusoke Kituuma said the action involved the Environmental Protection Police Unit, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the National Forestry Authority. The arrested suspects were charged with illegal dealing in forest produce, specifically charcoal, in connection with the law and the presidential directive restricting the trade.

The enforcement is linked to Executive Order No. 3 of 2023 on Environmental Protection, issued by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in May 2023. As reported by Watchdog Uganda, the order bars charcoal burning, production, transportation and commercial trade in Northern and North Eastern Uganda, including Karamoja, Teso, Lango, Acholi and West Nile, as part of efforts to curb deforestation and environmental damage.

Police warned that people involved in illegal charcoal activities or other conduct that harms forests risk arrest and prosecution, and said similar operations would continue in affected regions. The force also asked the public to report suspected illegal charcoal production or transport to police or relevant authorities. The case matters because charcoal demand has long placed pressure on forest resources, while enforcement of the ban affects livelihoods, trade routes and environmental protection efforts.