EnvironmentNational
UGANDA: CHARCOAL DEALERS OPERATING ACROSS EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARE REPORTEDLY CONTRIBUTING TO WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION-UPDF GENERAL
Uganda senior forest officer commented.
“We do not want to face the South Sudan Government in court over environmental degradation, Gen Flix Busizoori, the former Gulu UPDF 4TH Division Commander, warned
GULU CITY-AUGUST 11, 2026
By Okot Lil Romeo and Okumu Livingstone Langol
Date:11th/August/2026
Uganda government are in arm fighting climatic change through environmental destruction, arresting dozens of Ugandans who are doing illegals charcoal treaders cross-border in South Sudan involving.
The outgoing Gen. Flex Busizoori, the then UPDF 4TH Division Commander based in Gulu, addressed Northern Uganda media at the Gulu UPDF barracks and condemned citizens of Uganda for cutting massive trees inside South Sudan while using Northern Uganda’s porous border between Northern Uganda and South Sudan.
Gen Flex Busizoori summoned 40 Ugandans illegal charcoal treader in Gulu UPDF 4th Division barrack told them President Museveni through Presidential Executive Order Number 3, and Presidential Executive Order Number 2, ban all charcoal burning, trees cutting from North-Eastern Uganda that is still in effort.
“Therefore, I have put a ban on illegal charcoal burning and transportation from Northern Uganda, coming from South Sudan, as the Commander in-charge of Gulu the 4th Division Barracks, where he described those people as an environmental injustice and the president defied, posing injustice to human rights across Uganda.” Gen Flex Busizoori warned.
Maj. Gen. Felix Busizoori, order ultimatum with the effective from today 11th/08/2026 ordering the 40 charcoal treaders from Uganda who operating inside South Sudan, warning them that anyone found transporting charcoal from Sudan into our land will be impounded and given to local communities who do not have food in their home as a result of climate change; we shall give it to them as compensation.
“President Museveni call me, complaining to me that there is no need for us to ban the charcoal business in Uganda, leaving our people to carry on with the business in other neighboring countries to operate inside Uganda, it would not protect the environment. He directed me to stop any transportation of charcoal immediately,” Gen. Flex Busizoori argued.
Added stressed that some time back we had a case of the DRC Government dragging the Uganda Government to court, claiming we have been destroying their resources, demanding compensation for damages. “We would not want the South Sudan Government to drag us again to court for degrading their environment.
He observed that those documents they claimed it has been cleared form the South Sudan which was issued by the authorities, are illegal because they are procuring in the rebel’s area of SPLIO groups inside South Sudan; the SPLIO they are not Government of South Sudan.
Challenging the perpetrators: illegal dealers inside South Sudan claimed to have a working relationship with the rebels, and yet they do business in Uganda. How can rebel group leaders issue the documents and become legal to be used in Uganda?
We have learned that in Southern Sudan there is concern over salary delayed, some time for two months there is no salary not being paid. This is why leaders are trying to look for money let not take advantage of the gaps in the Government to start doing illegal business, charcoal dealers are taking advantage to exchange money.
Gen. Busizoori accused those arrested Ugandan citizen who used the good will of the east African Countries to caused illegal business known in the 1970s during Idi Amin regime, as “Magendo” warning them that for many years in Uganda, we have been registering gun insecurity terrorizing the country;
“We expect all guns being imported from South Sudan by criminal gangs being ferry among the lorries trucks of charcoals in to Uganda, which we suspect of being loaded inside sacks of charcoal and packed and exported to Uganda.”
By stopping charcoal dealers, we are not only protecting the environment degraded but also, we are fighting gun insecurity in Uganda. As UPDF, we are coming into resecuring of remaining forests and get solution to the problems, as we put a total ban over charcoals business in Greater Northern Uganda.
Gen Busizoori stressed that in Uganda, especially in Amuru District, about six forests reserved has been established, but five forests reserves have been cut down despite Presidential Executive directive, including Joka Forest, which has been destroyed by charcoal dealers.
However, in the recent meeting with the Governance of Central Equatoria with their four commissioners from Sudan Government on the 23th-24th/ July 2026 at Arua city, we resolved that all charcoal business in the country is illegal.
Uganda senior forest officer commented.
Michael Ojja Vuloy, the senior forest officer in charge of the Lango and Acholi regions who was present during the impromptu meeting called by UPDF, Gen. Busizoori urged disclosed that we are in a global village of climate change impacts due to human activities like this in South Sudan, warning that, but it will not only affect their people in the areas where tree cutting is based, but also globally we must stop cutting down trees just for charcoal money.
“The harm we are doing today to the environment will further catch up with us in the long run, or our children will suffer. Warned that this ban is not to kill people but to regulate and protect our forests from being degraded. Unfortunately, charcoal burned in Uganda is being exported outside the country where local is not benefiting, Michael Ojja noted.
Michael urges dealers to look for other alternatives for sustaining their families, not only money from charcoal, which is again presidential Executive Order Number 3&2. Let it be our routine responsibility to protect forest reserves but not thinking of money into the pocket only.
Michael Ojja citing incident of 2018 when Ministry of Trade and Environment of South Sudan issued the ban of chacoracal trade, wood logging from South Sudan event local authority also implemented the bans.
However, some of the controversial arose within traders who are trying to manipulate the officials both from Sudan and Uganda Government, they are collecting charcoal along the border without document which is illegal trader.
“They are using fakes forged documents issued for Animals travel where they used those documents permit for the wildlife, to transport wood logs, charcoals and other illegal business from Sudan; it is not the right way of trading”
Uganda URA Commission reacted.
Commissioner Simon Tumwesigye, the in-charge Manager of Custom at Uganda Revenue Authority, also confirmed that there is a ban in place, no one is allowed to issue a permit as URA Commissioner; we will investigate some powerful officials who are manipulating the systems, by giving clearance to those charcoal dealers.
“For us, as the Uganda Revenue Authority, we come in when another official Government agency confirms for ginning clearance, then we come and confirm last for transportation of charcoal,” Simon revealed.
Am appealing to the authorities at the checkpoint, in the office of the 4th/ division commander, police, and other agencies: let reports any trucks carrying charcoal, logs, and forged shields to the office of the Uganda Revenue Authority, “we do not want our name to be portrayed for no reason; let us work together as one family to protect our environment for the generation.
In Uganda, we do not allow any export of charcoals, wood to another country; it is in the law of the East African Management Community Act, but the country allows any imports into the country.
“I want to call upon all the united efforts of the implementing partners; let us not fail the decision the Government made, and let us avoid classing amongst us the united efforts official because of little money for us pockets,” he mooted.
Doucs Okello, chairperson Ker-wa charcoal association at Kerwa in Southern Sudan, revealed that before us involved in business in South Sudan, local people from South Sudan used to burned the charcoal, later we buying from them because the market of charcoal in South Sudan there is no market in their country.
However, we have reached the agreement with the local community to pay them in form tax to from South Sudan and the officials from Uganda who are in-charge of the boarder point. From our country we called them (Jale and while in Uganda is URA.
“There is a registered company in Southern Sudan whom they are the one burning the charcoal and selling it to us, not us cutting the trees and burning it,” Dorcus revealed.
Adding the problem is that security in Uganda is filing to differentiate the right business people from South Sudan who they are good people, from the people who are doing illegal trading within Uganda; we need protection from Uganda Government.
“We are having very many single mothers in our groups depending on loans to dos business; we are appealing to Government allowed us continues with the trading, we are a taxpayers’ people “appealing to Government.
Senyonjo Eria Bond, the national chairperson of Uganda Charcoal Dealers’ Association, informed the meeting that we are facing problems from security in Uganda, allowing non-compliant traders to pass after getting money from them, at the checkpoint, but they tend to arrest and impound innocent traders.
“Am seeing my innocent people lose, losing capital they borrow from loans, yet they are following all the procedures, paying tax to the two countries,” she accused the authorities.
Senyonjo further added that some of the traders were born in Luwero; our parents were also born in the charcoal business, we grew up in this business; changing the business is a call of death to us, we cannot survive without such business, no skill for other businesses, Government should consider us.
Dr. Alice Akello, Commissioner in-charge of presidency office greater norther noted that, in 2024-May we pleaded to you that you should change to others business why are you stuck in the same business, is it the only biussness in the earth, go and do others thing to sustained your family we cannot keep coming for the same discussion with leam concern of loans yet it is illegal trade.
Akello further advised people in uniform to start serious implementation of the President Museveni directive. “Enough is enough;” we are letting the Fountain of Honor directive down, and even God is not happy with us if we fail to implements and allow destruction of the environment continues it is God-created resources.
Finally, Akello, further encouraged dealers to start planning more trees to help conserve our lost trees due to charcoal traders; we must all embrace tree planting as our priority at the household level for future generations.
