Africa and the Global Illicit Economy

In this week’s episode we discuss the recent assisnation of Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, a top-detective with the Western Cape Anti-Gang unit and corruption in South Africa’s police force. In Somaliland we’ll investigate how cheetah smuggling is decimating populations and what’s being done to stop it.

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers:

Julian Rademeyer, Director of the Civil Society Observatory of Illicit Economies in Southern Africa at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Patricia Tricorache, Independent illegal wildlife trade expert.

Reading

Latest Risk Bulletin 12 (Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime)

Police Assassinations (ISS Africa)

Cheetah Smuggling (National Geographic)

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

On the 6th August 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on three men and a boat. The men were Libyan nationals, and the boat an asset of a Maltese company. What connects them all is a criminal network involving the sale of oil and drugs from Libya, across the central Meditarranean and into Europe. 

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers:

Mark Micallef,  Director of the North Africa and Sahel Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.

Lorenzo Bagnoli, an investigative reporter with the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI) and a member of the GI network of experts. 

Fatjona Mejdini, the field network coordinator for the Balkans at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime 

Sign Up for the 24hr Organized Crime Conference here.

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

While international media reported a decrease in gang activity during COVID19 lockdowns in Kenya and South Africa, GI research has uncovered that they have simply shifted strategy. This week’s episode covers a special report on how gangs are recruiting out of school youth in growing numbers and how they are used for illicit activities. 

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers

Julia Stanyard, Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Joyce Kimani, Observatory Coordinator for East and Horn of Africa, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Rukshana Parker, Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Reading: Risk Bulletin 11

Additional Links

Cape Town gangs help feed poor devastated by lockdown

South Africa’s strict pandemic response could give criminal gangs an unexpected boost

How school closures during COVID-19 further marginalize vulnerable children in Kenya

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

In this week’s episode of Africa and the Global Illicit Economy, we uncover how unchecked corruption and illicit industries fuelled the discontent that led to Mali’s recent coup.

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers:

Dr Bréma Ely Dicko - Malian sociologist and anthropologist, former head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Human Sciences of Bamako

Peter Tinti - Journalist & Senior Research Fellow, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Philip Obaji Jr - Journalist, activist, and founder of 1 GAME: Football without Violence initiative.

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

Background

Q&A: The military coup in Mali

BBC: Mali coup: Thousands take to Bamako streets to celebrate

In this week’s episode of Africa and the Global Illicit Economy, we take a look at current trends in organised crime in East and Southern Africa --- From the  illicit smuggling of arms and ammunition from Yemen to Somalia;  the worrying rise of high-profile kidnappings in Mozambique; and the possible emergence of an organised illicit trade in donkey skins from Kenya. 

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers

Estacio Valoi - Investigative journalist based in Mozambique.

Samantha Opere - Samantha Opere is a Veterinary Surgeon and Project Manager at  Kenya Network for Dissemination of Agricultural Technologies. 

Jay Bahadur - author of The Pirates of Somalia and guest editor of the Global Initiative's East and Southern Africa Risk Bulletin.

ESAOBS Risk Bulletin

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

In this episode we explore push factors for surging levels of migration from the Maghreb in early 2020, and how Moroccan social media star, who goes by the name Zizou Vlogs,  is lending a new voice to the changing face of irregular migration.  

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Guests:

Matt Herbert, Senior Ana­­­­lyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Amine Ghoulidi, King's College London

Producer: Alexandria Sahai-Williams

Reading material

Wired - On YouTube, vloggers are teaching people how to migrate illegally

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

This episode examines how bans and increased regulation in above ground industries under the stated intent of “stopping the spread of COVID-19” have led to new forms of illicit trade in Eastern and Southern Africa.

In Somalia donations of personal and ventilators have been misappropriated for profit and a ban on Khat threatens to destabilize the lives of growers and sellers in Kenya.

In South Africa a ban on tobacco is exposing the tobacco industries participation in the black market. 

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Guests

Abdulaziz Billow Ali - Journalist/TV Correspondent CGTN Africa

Telita Snyckers - Illicit Trade Expert, former tax lawyer for the South African Revenue Services (SARS)

Dalle Abraham - Dalle Abraham is a writer based in Marsabit, Kenya.

Jay Bahadur - Journalist and author

Documents

Risk Bulletin #9

Global Initiative

Producer: Alexandria Sahai Williams

In this episode of Africa and the Global Illicit Economy we explore how licit economy smuggling has become the backbone of communities across the Maghreb and Sahel.

This episode features discussions on how governments tolerate and manage the trade in contraband commodities, medicine smuggling from Tunisia into Libya and the importance of food smuggling to borderland communities.

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Guests:

Raouf Farrah

Max Gallien

Jihane Ben Yahia

Related material:

Max Gallien 

http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/4116/

https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/77053

Jihane Ben Yahia

https://enactafrica.org/research/research-papers/a-medical-emergency-trafficking-pharmaceuticals-from-tunisia-tolibya

Raouf Farrah

https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/After_the_storm_GI-TOC.pdf

Producer: Alexandria Sahai Williams

In this episode of Africa and the Global Illicit Economy we explore how developments in East and Southern Africa’s economy can lead to unintended consequences in the illicit economy.

This episode features an inside look at how the tension between demand for charcoal and bans on production has given rise to powerful dealers who strike predatory agreements with local communities in Northern Uganda, smugglers who hijack wine exports in South Africa's Western Cape, and how a small sailing vessel called a “dhow” has been co-opted for heroin smuggling throughout the Indian Ocean.

Presenter: Lindy Mtongana

Speakers

Rukshana Parker - Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime

Arthur Owor - Director Of Research and Operations - Centre for African Research-Northern Uganda Research Centre

Julia Stanyard - Analyst, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

Producer: Alexandria Sahai Williams 

Risk Bulletin

We start in North Africa and the Sahel where we will give you a comprehensive overview of some of the major illicit markets in the region, before in future episodes taking a more in depth look at the nuances within the illicit economy in Africa.

In this episode we will discuss the journey taken by human smugglers and migrants travelling through the Sahel region and how that has been impacted by COVID-19.

Before moving onto Libya, the departure point for many of those trying to get to Europe. Where COVID has combined with an ongoing war to make life even more difficult for migrants.

And finally, we'll look at the drug production and trafficking region of the Maghreb, on the doorstep of the European illicit drug market.

#AfricaTOC

Presenter

Lindy Mtongana

Guests

Alexandre Bish - Senior Analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Rebecca Murray, Senior Analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Mark Micallef, Director of the North Africa and Sahel Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Matt Herbet, Senior Analyst with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

GI's Risk Bulletin