Organized Crime and Conflict in the Sahel-Sahara Region-Carnegie Foundation

The destabalising effect of organised crime is a key factor in the rise of AQIM and Mujao,due to as much to the money it raised through its kidnapping activities and the resulting influence it wields at a high political level in the region.Those involved in organized crime currently wield decisive political and military influence in northern Mali, the Carnegie Foundation says.

In a region which is amongst the poorest in the world, the smuggling of  drugs,including cannabis and cocaine and the link with the Columbian cocaine cartel provides a major source of revenue as does weapons smuggling,human trafficking and kidnapping  . This is unlikely to change even when AQIM is removed from Northern Mali the article says. The best that be hoped is to weaken and divide the sources of crime and this will take time.

The temptation for governments to allow their associates to benefit from the proceeds of crime is  very strong. Concentrating on capacity building in the judicial and security fields will be successful only if they are linked with anti crime and corruption measures to combat criminal networks, the Foundation says. political engagement with key government players should be made conditional on them disassociating themselves with organised crime.

This will not be easy as deals with local forces will have to be struck but the challenge is to try to ensure that a liberation from AQIM and Mujao does not  lead to a consolidation of criminal networks and their ability to operate. This will be difficult to achive in a region where smuggling stretches as far as highly unstable Libya and very high levels of unemployment predominate. This will not be achieved quickly but one important action would be to limit the payment of ransom for hostages.

The USA,EU and member states concentraed on counterterrorism measures without focusing on complicity by the state with crime. They were frustrated by government inability to tackle terrorism but they did not fully consider the root causes and links to criminal activity.. Donors’ strong and largely unconditional support for the regime of Amadou Toumani Toure, accused by Mauritania and Algeria of failing to tackle AQIM,merits careful consideration.

Countries such as Niger and Mauritania also have to contend with the destabalising effects of uprooting criminal networks.The formation of government allied militias needs to be watched as lack of control is taken as a licence to smuggle as witnessed by Libya.

Criminals or terrorists should not be released as part of hostage ransom deals, the  Carnegie Foundation says and it questions the role of Burkino Faso in being involved in hostage negotiations and political talks with the terrorists  in Northern Mali at the sametime.

Nevertheless the mediation by President Blaise Campaoré has won the release of a number of European hostages.

The distrust of each other by allies such as Algeria,Mauritania and mali needs to be overcome in the interests of regional cooperation. The Foundation also comments that Algeria has to overcome its hesitancy to act if it is going to take up its pivotal regional role. The demise of the regime of Amadou Toumani Toure represents an opportunity for improved regional security cooperation, including on organized crime. Western governments should seize the opportunity by supporting regional initiatives to improve cooperation, rather than trying to play a leading role themselves, the Carnegie Foundation concludes.