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00:00 In a small clearing near the Ugandan city of Gulu, large stacks of logs lie next to
00:05 freshly cut stumps.
00:07 A common sight in the north of the country, known for its charcoal production, but one
00:12 that still left local official Patrick Komaketch on the verge of tears.
00:16 "The drought that we are experiencing in northern Uganda and above all in our district
00:20 of Gulu, it is as a result of this destruction.
00:23 So when I saw this one, I definitely began shedding tears because this is not how our
00:27 community should go out.
00:29 We should protect our environment."
00:31 In order to halt the destruction, Uganda's president signed an executive order last month
00:36 banning the commercial production of charcoal in the north.
00:40 But enforcing the new rules is proving difficult, in a country where coal is still widely used
00:45 as a cheap source of fuel.
00:47 Deo Senyimba has been burning and selling it for over a decade, and doesn't intend
00:52 to stop any time soon.
00:54 He denounces the hypocrisy of authorities and the lack of alternatives to earn a living.
00:59 "We're not stopping because we have nothing else to do.
01:03 We aren't going to start stealing.
01:06 Everyone uses charcoal.
01:08 Even lawmakers use it.
01:09 It helps all of us."
01:13 Faced with the resistance of producers, some locals are taking matters into their own hands.
01:19 Former MP Odonga Oto recently orchestrated a raid on a charcoal truck, seizing hundreds
01:24 of bags.
01:25 He's since been charged with aggravated robbery, but says he doesn't regret his actions.
01:30 "I mobilized all the youths in the region to stop any truck carrying charcoal.
01:36 So we succeeded.
01:37 The government was overstretched in the whole region, and we managed to make the business
01:42 risky."
01:43 A risky but lucrative business, still driven by widespread demand for charcoal across Uganda.
01:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]