Terrorists continue to benefit from organized crime, whether domestic or transnational, through trafficking in arms, persons, drugs, cultural property, the illicit trade in natural resources and wildlife. Africa has been particularly vulnerable to these linkages with terrorist and organized crime groups benefiting from porous borders, spaces with limited governance, and limitations in intelligence and law enforcement capacity. Addressing the links between organized crime and terrorism continues to be a high priority for countries in Africa, who recognize that addressing these issues is a key element in preventing terrorism financing and support.
The project will provide Member States with the knowledge, tools, and skills to put in place effective policies and procedures to address the nexus between terrorism and organized crime.
Over a four-year period, the project beneficiaries will have increased awareness and understanding of the nexus between organized crime and terrorism and good practices in relation to policy, legislative, and operational responses to address them, thereby reducing the damaging the effects of the nexus within and between Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa and preventing spill over to other global regions. The project will:
- Gather information to further evaluate the priorities and needs of beneficiaries’ countries and develop a scientific-based description of the mechanics of illicit trade in a specify region, with a view to developing tailored technical assistance plans.
- Develop policy and legal framework for multi-agency information-sharing and cooperation to effectively address links between organized crime, terrorism and its financing and facilitation. This will be done through the provision of technical support to policy makers on inter-agency coordination mechanisms to facilitate cooperation between law enforcement and criminal justice actors; as well as through the provision of legal guidance to ensure domestic anti-crime and counter-terrorism legislation are in line with international legal conventions and protocols.
- Establish a pool of criminal justice officials with enhanced knowledge and skills on effectively addressing links between terrorism and organized crime. This will be done through the development of training curricula, Training of Trainers (ToTs) modules and mentorship programmes, as well as through the provision of equipment for investigators to support the effective detection and investigation of terrorism-related incidents.
- Establish a cross-regional network to address linkages between terrorism and organized crime through increased cooperation and knowledge trends, good practices and threats, thereby supporting South-South cooperation and addressing linkages between Africa and regions such as Latin America and Asia involved in illicit trafficking of drugs and other materials that impact the continent. This will be done through the organization of a series of cross-regional trainings to foster a comprehensive region-wide approach to addressing the nexus; and by supporting the establishment of a cross-regional mechanism for an enhanced inter-agency cooperation across the regions, for exchanging knowledge and expertise, and for analyzing and sharing of information (dedicated secured online platform, fusion center, etc.).
A reduction in terrorism-related insecurity in Africa due to strengthened measures to address the nexus between organized crime and terrorism in the continent, including address linkages with illicit trafficking from other regions.