Ugandan ban on charcoal-making disrupts lucrative but destructive business

Deo Ssenyimba stands near a heap of burning charcoal in Gulu, Uganda, May 27, 2023. [AP Photo]

The charcoal makers in the forests of northern Uganda fled into the bush, temporarily abandoning their precious handiwork: multiple heaps of timber yet to be processed.

The workers were desperate to avoid capture by local officials after a new law banned the commercial production of charcoal. They risked arrest and beatings if they were caught.