The links between terrorism and organized crime pose growing risks to global peace and security. West Africa has been particularly affected by this phenomenon. Drug trafficking routes pass through multiple countries in the region, generating substantial income for terrorist and organized crime groups. In addition to this, illegal gold mining in border areas provides both financial resources and materials for terrorist groups. Fuel smuggling, involving cross-border networks, contributes another source of revenue for terrorist groups. These transnational criminal-terrorist alliances exacerbate existing instability, making it increasingly more challenging for governments to prevent and counter these cross-border threats.
To effectively address these threats, a coordinated and collaborative response among States is needed. Effective countermeasures require enhanced cross-border cooperation, including intelligence-sharing, legal harmonization, joint operations, and stronger border control. Strengthening such cooperation not only helps dismantle criminal and terrorist networks but also builds trust between States, contributing to regional security.
In response to these challenges and as part of the project on "Strengthening the Capacity of States to Address the Nexus between Terrorism and Organized Crime in Africa", launched at the beginning of 2023, UNODC and UNICRI jointly organized a regional workshop on enhancing cross-border cooperation to counter the nexus between terrorism and organized crime in West Africa. The three-day regional meeting was held in Cotonou on 24-26 September 2024.
The meeting was attended by 20 national practitioners from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo. Participants included officials from the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Defense, Finance and Territorial Administration, as well as representatives and experts from specialized regional and international entities involved in countering terrorism and organized crime.
During the various sessions, participants identified several key aspects related to preventing and countering the links between terrorism and organized crime and highlighted the complexity and evolving nature of these links, as well as the challenges faced by institutions in addressing them. Their contributions also emphasized the importance of strengthening inter-agency cooperation, building institutional capacities, and addressing the root causes of recruitment to terrorist groups.
By the end of the workshop, participants had assessed trends in the nexus between terrorism and organized crime in West Africa. More concretely, they identified priorities and challenges in regional and inter-regional cooperation on the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of cases on the nexus between terrorism and organized crime, while strengthening their capacities in inter-agency coordination and countering terrorism financing through illicit trafficking.
Participants exchanged ideas on strengthening existing mechanisms for cross-border investigations and prosecutions and identified areas for enhanced cooperation. Finally, they developed practical recommendations to strengthen cooperation between Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Togo, particularly through the inter-connection and reinforcement of existing regional and bilateral cooperation networks.
The activity was funded by the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund.
