African countries deeply divided over ivory trade before U.N. meeting

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers stand guard near stacks of elephant tusks, part of an estimated 105 tonnes of confiscated ivory from smugglers and poachers to be burnt at the Nairobi National Park near Nairobi, Kenya, April 30, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Member states of the U.N. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are not meeting until September, but some African countries have already drawn their battle lines on divisive issues such as the ivory trade.

Proposals for the meeting in Johannesburg were made public this week, pitting bids by Namibia and Zimbabwe to open up the trade in elephant ivory, against initiatives led by Kenya for a complete global ban on the coveted commodity.