NCJ Number
238618
Date Published
October 2011
Length
112 pages
Annotation
This report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) describes the interconnections among different criminal actors in the context of instability in Central Africa, identifies the various trafficking flows, and suggests options for intervention under a regional strategy.
Abstract
Organized crime in Central Africa is involved in the exploitation of natural resources and the trafficking of other products, including cannabis, minerals, timber, and wildlife. This report estimates that approximately U.S. $200 million in gross revenues is generated from these activities. Central Africa is also one of the regions most affected by the trafficking of children to participate in armed conflict. Those groups making the most money are illegal armed groups or corrupt elements within the military that are engaged in trafficking in minerals and other forms of contraband. The illicit trade in Congolese gold is estimated at U.S. $120 million, which is 10 times the amount of money made by licit gold sales and twice the value of the country's coffee exports. This report recommends that international strategies for addressing the threat of organized crime in Central Africa should target the economic incentives that motivate armed groups to continue the promotion of instability for profit. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) needs an effective criminal justice system that has trained criminal justice personnel and well-funded institutions with the authority and the will to investigate, arrest, try, and punish criminals who exploit institutional weakness to commit crimes. In addition, local and international efforts must target the financing of armed groups. This report proposes securing the route from mine sites to points of export and the clearing of transportation corridors of illegal taxation, road blocks, and coerced labor. In order to anchor regional activities within a global framework, the UNODC is working with other partners to ensure that combating transnational organized crime is given priority throughout the United Nations system. Numerous figures, tables, and maps