Transnational criminal organizations have taken advantage of the instability in Sahel nations to establish thriving drug and human trafficking operations, while Russia's assurances of restoring stability have not yet materialized.
The bus terminal in Agadez is extremely lively. The city in the Nigerien desert is among the key regional centers. Located on the northern border of the Sahel, trade routes connecting West Africa with the Maghreb have come together for many years.
And the line between legal trade items and contraband has always been unclear. In particular, thesmuggling of peopleIndividuals from sub-Saharan Africa who travel to Europe without proper documentation are – at the very least informally – viewed as the city's primary revenue generator.
Bamadou also aimed to reach Europe with the assistance of smugglers. Nevertheless, the young man from Guinea abandoned his plan after a brief period. He is currently stuck in Agadez and cautions other migrants about the growing violence from criminal groups in the desert: "At times, they arrive with baseball bats and begin hitting people. Several individuals tragically lost their lives in a migrant convoy in March. Three Senegalese, two South Americans, and ten fellow Guineans," he says to zaia news.
New regulations result in a surge in illegal trafficking
In 2015, due to pressure from the European Union, the government of Niger enacted a comprehensive law against smuggling, deployed well-armed patrols into the desert, and detained hundreds of smugglers within a short period.
But following the military coup in 2023,The incoming leaders did away with the legislation.
"The new military leadership proceeded with the action just one day after signing a new military agreement with Russia," states Ulf Laessing, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's regional program in nearby Mali. Laessing thinks Russian influence was behind this decision.
The impact of the new Nigerien policy was immediate: within a few weeks of the law being repealed, the smuggling trade in Agadez had resumed completely, as reported by the mayor – and it continues to expand.
Partners in Moscow instead of Brussels
The scenario is comparable across Niger's neighboring countries. In Burkina Faso and Mali, emerging military regimes have drawn nearer to Moscow than to Brussels. During the same period, the regional smuggling network experienced significant growth in these nations, especially within the drug trade.
For instance, officials in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger intercepted approximately 13 kilograms of narcotics annually between 2015 and 2020. By 2022, this amount surged to roughly 1.5 tonnes – a rise of over 11,000%, as stated in reports from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Cocaine surge in the desert
Recent 2024 figures reveal that more than a ton of cocaine was confiscated in one operation at the border of Senegal and Mali.
"A record-breaking achievement," says Amado Philip de Andrés from the UNODC in Dakar, Senegal. As per de Andrés,The Sahel's position has historically made it a key area of interest for drug traffickers..
The area is situated between suppliers in Latin America and users in Europe, where the demand for the drug has sharply increased. Criminal groups have traditionally taken advantage of political instability in the Sahel, but de Andrés notes that smuggling operations have recently achieved a higher level of sophistication in terms of quality.
"We are witnessing more advanced technologies. There are underwater vehicles carrying half a tonne of medication," he said to zaia news.
Frequently, cocaine moves toward Europe via the Sahel region by land, following paths managed by quickly expanding local drug organizations.
"The largest fish in the cocaine trade still originate from Latin America. However, the middle tier is now increasingly sourced from West and Central Africa," de Andrés adds.
Criminal organizations have gained substantial financial influence in the Sahel and are channeling their illicit funds into large-scale projects across the area.
System of graft and military strength
This occurs amid a context of corrupt officials and security forces, especially at the local level. Due to Europe's limited news coverage, initiatives aimed at fighting corruption and promoting good governance in the Sahel have expired or been suspended in recent years.
"Drug trafficking is increasing the power of criminal organizations over border officials and politicians who hold local leadership roles," states de Andrés.
Russia's assurances of using military power to bring greater stability to the Sahel and fight criminal groups are not meeting expectations.
"Keep in mind that France had over 5,000 troops stationed here on its own. Even they were unable to bring stability to the area. The Russians currently have around 1,500 personnel in Mali, plus an additional 400 in Burkina Faso and Niger," Laessing says to zaia news.
Rather, as per Laessing, the existence of the Russian mercenary group Africa Corps has produced the contrary outcome.
He adds, 'A brutality is ascribed to them that has intensified the conflicts even more.'
On the path towards narco-terrorism?
The relationship between smugglers and jihadists is also evolving as a result of the effectiveness of drug networks.
The term "narco-terrorism" is becoming more common in the Sahel. As per the most recent Global Terrorism Index, nearly half of all terrorism victims worldwide are from this region.
At first, the jihadists mainly benefited indirectly from the drug trade, imposing customs fees on trucks or demanding payment for convoy protection.
Currently, analysts note, certain terrorist organizations are attempting to join the profitable industry directly. In other areas, the Afghan Taliban have been involved in the opium trade for a long time, and the Islamic State (IS) in Syria has also manufactured synthetic drugs on a large scale.
As per Laessing, European nations should consequently aim to strengthen their presence in the area for their own security purposes.
However, because of other global areas of conflict, such as Ukraine and Gaza, the political implications of the situation currently developing in the Sahel are largely ignored.
"People believe these nations are insignificant due to their extreme poverty. However, this is essentially the southern edge of Europe," Laessing states.
Collaboration: Tilla Amadou, Agadez
Edited by Cai Nebe
Author: Jan-Philipp Scholz