MAPUTO 4 Dec (ANA) - A court in Mozambique has given 11 people prison sentences of 16 years each for poaching in the famous Gorongosa National Park. 

Judge Martinho Cheguere said the sentence was aimed at getting people to "abandon" poaching. 

Defence lawyer Tania Joaquim said she would appeal against the sentences because she argued they were too high, especially as the 11 - all Mozambicans - had confessed to the crime. 

In his ruling, Judge Martinho Cheguere said the 16-year jail terms were aimed at getting people to "abandon" poaching. 

Poaching has fallen sharply since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1992.

During the conflict, most of the elephants in the park in central Mozambique were killed for their ivory, which was then sold to buy weapons. 

The park is also famous for its lions and rhinos.(ANA)

FA/ANA/4 December 2019------