Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and regional security in West Africa
Several West African states are threatened by increasingly powerful transnational organised criminal networks. Yet, scholarly work on the nature, characteristics and strength of these groups and how their activities threaten states remains sparse, leading to misunderstandings and inadequate...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Centre for Security Governance
2014-02-01
|
| Series: | Stability : International Journal of Security and Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/197 |
| _version_ | 1811287756187369472 |
|---|---|
| author | Kwesi Aning John Pokoo |
| author_facet | Kwesi Aning John Pokoo |
| author_sort | Kwesi Aning |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Several West African states are threatened by
increasingly powerful transnational organised criminal networks. Yet, scholarly work on the
nature, characteristics and strength of these groups and how their activities threaten states
remains sparse, leading to misunderstandings and inadequate appreciation of the precise nature of
the threats they pose to West Africa. This paper seeks to fill these lacunae in our knowledge. It
focuses on the nexus between drugs, crime and terrorism. It argues that, the financial spin-offs
from criminal activities contribute to the development of opportunistic relationships between
criminals and extremist groups that threatens West Africa’s fragile states. The analyses are
based on evidence from several West African states, but employ the ongoing crisis in the Sahel,
particularly Mali, as an empirical case, to demonstrate how ‘profitable collusion’ among
different actors permits hollow states to become edifices that allows corruption, criminality and
impunity to flourish. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:24:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f2e6ea8e6184811b6807309a2edc4d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2165-2627 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:24:02Z |
| publishDate | 2014-02-01 |
| publisher | Centre for Security Governance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Stability : International Journal of Security and Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f2e6ea8e6184811b6807309a2edc4d42022-12-22T03:04:41ZengCentre for Security GovernanceStability : International Journal of Security and Development2165-26272014-02-0131Art. 810.5334/sta.df94Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and regional security in West AfricaKwesi Aning0John Pokoo1Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training CentreProject Coordinator, Small arms and Light Weapons Program, KAIPTC, Accra, GhanaSeveral West African states are threatened by increasingly powerful transnational organised criminal networks. Yet, scholarly work on the nature, characteristics and strength of these groups and how their activities threaten states remains sparse, leading to misunderstandings and inadequate appreciation of the precise nature of the threats they pose to West Africa. This paper seeks to fill these lacunae in our knowledge. It focuses on the nexus between drugs, crime and terrorism. It argues that, the financial spin-offs from criminal activities contribute to the development of opportunistic relationships between criminals and extremist groups that threatens West Africa’s fragile states. The analyses are based on evidence from several West African states, but employ the ongoing crisis in the Sahel, particularly Mali, as an empirical case, to demonstrate how ‘profitable collusion’ among different actors permits hollow states to become edifices that allows corruption, criminality and impunity to flourish.http://www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/197drugsSahelWest AfricaECOWASAfrican Unionterrorism |
| spellingShingle | Kwesi Aning John Pokoo Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and regional security in West Africa Stability : International Journal of Security and Development drugs Sahel West Africa ECOWAS African Union terrorism |
| title | Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and
regional security in West Africa |
| title_full | Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and
regional security in West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and
regional security in West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and
regional security in West Africa |
| title_short | Understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and
regional security in West Africa |
| title_sort | understanding the nature and threats of drug trafficking to national and regional security in west africa |
| topic | drugs Sahel West Africa ECOWAS African Union terrorism |
| url | http://www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/197 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kwesianing understandingthenatureandthreatsofdrugtraffickingtonationalandregionalsecurityinwestafrica AT johnpokoo understandingthenatureandthreatsofdrugtraffickingtonationalandregionalsecurityinwestafrica |