What is it about?
According to the African Union, Africa is a ‘terrorist breeding ground’ and the epicentre of the links between organised crime and terrorism globally. This publication is the first empirical study to examine (1) how some of the most powerful and lethal transnational terrorist groups in Africa benefit from seven different types of organised crime financially, logistically and operationally and (2) the applicability and effectiveness of African Union legal instruments for combatting the phenomenon. The ‘effectiveness’ of African Union legal instruments is based on the extent to which such instruments provide a legal basis to facilitate coordinated practice among states with regard to harmonized criminalisation and the operation of the law ‘on the ground’ in terms of law enforcement. The primary focus of this research is East and West Africa and the Sahel, which are sub-regions most affected by organised crime and terrorism.
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Why is it important?
It is important to read this publication because it provides new empirical insights, informed by over 90 interviews with key informants, into the links between terrorism and organised crime in Africa, as well as the nature and scope of these links. Some of these links expand beyond the African continent and impact the European Union and other states around the world. All of the more prominent and resilient terrorist groups benefit from all seven links with organised crime. These findings are important, as much of the literature in the field is based on an overreliance on secondary data sources and the literature review method. Further, this publication empirically demonstrates that African Union legal instruments are largely inapplicable and ineffective in combating the links between terrorism and organised crime. A more fundamental empirical finding is that African Union officials have been slow to react at the policy, legal and operational level to understand and combat the links between organised crime and terrorism. The findings of this publication have already begin to impact policymakers, with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime launching a new project to address the nexus between terrorism and transnational organised crime in Africa.
Perspectives
I was motivated to conduct and publish this research because of the growing threat of terrorism and organised crime in Africa. Yet, the African Union has done little to respond to this threat. As a former independent expert at the UN, I was aware that the UN also urgently needs empirical data to inform policy responses to this problem. The next goal is to use the findings from this research to inform policy and legal responses to the links between terrorism and organised crime in Africa.
Matthew Garrod
University of Sussex
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Applicability and Effectiveness of the AU’s Instruments to Organized Criminal Terrorism, September 2024, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004424579_007.
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