UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The illegal trade in elephant ivory may constitute an important source of funding for armed groups, including the Lord’s Resistance Army, threatening peace and security in central Africa, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council.

In a report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, Ban said that the situation has become so serious in some countries that governments are already using the army as well as police and paramilitary forces to hunt down poachers.