Ugandan officials have impounded 99 pieces of ivory worth just under $180,000 following a tip-off which they believe could have been taken from poached elephants in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Burundi.

Officials said smugglers were reloading the ivory onto a truck in the capital Kampala when the Uganda Revenue Authority was tipped off.

The ivory was on transit through Uganda. Its destination was most probably China where ivory is used for ornaments and trophies. Ivory and other items like gold and diamonds find their way out of Congo to international markets through neighbouring states including Uganda.

Trade in trophies of endangered animals is prohibited in under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of which Uganda is signatory, but poachers in war-torn Congo continue the illegal trade with impunity.

A wildlife official is quoted as saying, "About 30 elephants were killed to get the 99 pieces of raw and worked ivory that is used to make ornaments in Asian countries".

The insecurity and lawlessness that have been reigning for years in the east and north-east of the Congo have meant that endangered animals including elephants and gorillas are at the mercy of poachers.