Authorities in the United Kingdom are taking action against 14 companies that are suspected of sourcing illegal timber from Cameroon. Cameroon’s forests are one of the most biodiverse in the Congo Basin, but they are being decimated at a rapid pace due to illegal logging. Pursuant to the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR), British authorities have started the first steps in targeting 14 companies that are suspected of sourcing the illegal timber, sending 6 letters of remedial action, 7 letters of warning, and 1 letter of advice.

Nasako Besingi, an activist from Cameroon, was convicted of four criminal counts against palm oil company Herakles Farms, a U.S.-based palm oil company that operates in Cameroon. Besingi is the director of the Cameroonian NGO Struggle to Economize our Future Environment (SEFE), a group that has led resistance against palm oil plantations in Cameroon. Besingi was convicted of two counts of defamation and two counts of propagation of false news after three years of legal battles. He was sentenced to either three years in prison or a fine of $2,400.