Africa and the Global Illicit Economy

Underworlds with Mark Shaw is returning for another season. Mark sits down with authors to discuss their investigations into the murky world of organized crime. In season two, we hear about a range of stories such as money laundering and cryptocurrency; the 'Ndrangheta's expansion from Calabria, Italy to other countries of Europe. Also the story of a leading South African police officer, who was t...

Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw. Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction. From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twili...

Organized crime in South Africa threatens the economy, its people and the democratic institutions themselves. Every day we see a number of different and seemingly unconnected criminal incidents taking place - from assassinations to gang rapes in an illegal mining community; and from the violence of the taxi industry to organized cooper theft. But what lies behind all of these actions is a dark web...

The Cape Flats in South Africa is made up of 20 suburbs make up the Cape Flats; populated predominantly by black and coloured communities, a term used to describe those of mixed-heritage. Each suburb is marked by poverty, crime, drug abuse, gangsterism and violence. In this, Lindy Mtongana's final episode, she looks at the Grassy Park where a slew of recent killings has exposed the devastating con...

In this episode Lindy delves into the murky world of political assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Where, according to the GI-TOC's assassination monitor data, for three of the last six years, political assassinations were higher than all other South African provinces combined. Presenter : Lindy Mtongana Speaker(s): Greg Arde , Journalist and Author of War Party: How the ANC’s political...

In this episode Lindy explores the world of cattle rustling in Mali, an act that has existed for centuries. But cattle rustling has evolved into a highly organized form of criminality involving Islamists and bandits, forcing farmers to arm themselves to protect themselves and their herds. Presenter : Lindy Mtongana Speaker : Deo Gumba , Civil Society Coordinator for the West Africa Observatory, Gl...

The Drugs and Development Hub is an initiative that brings together researchers, academics, policymakers and people affected by drug economies to discuss new approaches to drug policy. The ultimate goal is to shift mindsets towards more socially conscious and public-health oriented approach. This is the second episode covering the DDH. In this podcast Lindy sits down with a range of regional exper...

In this episode, Lindy explores the case of Lual Lawrence Malong Yor, a South Sudanese businessman with a compulsion for flamboyant self promotion. But last year he was jailed in Uganda for masterminding a million-dollar fake gold scam. The Malong case is emblematic of a prolific problem in East Africa's gold Market. At the heart of these scams are criminal networks operating in Nairobi and Kampal...

The attack on Palma last year made international headlines but for five years, Mozambique has been the site of a violent insurgency. The armed jihadist group, Ansar Al-Sunna, has terrorised communities in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. It’s believed that more than 3000 people have been killed, and over 700,000 displaced. Despite international recognition and a regional military response, t...

Abalone is a fairly innocuous little creature that fits in the palm of your hand. It's a type of sea snail found off the coast of South Africa, and abalone is also considered a delicacy in Asia. It's been driven to near-extinction by massive levels of poaching, in a transnational criminal network that sees local, regional and international players compete for profits. In this episode, Lindy speaks...

At the end of November 2021, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime alongside the International Institute for Strategic Studies released the Africa Organized Crime Index 2021 – which provides a picture of criminality and resilience of every country in Africa. The aim is to guide African policymaking and to stimulate debate on one of the greatest threats to the security and dev...

The Cheetah – the fastest land animal in the world. This big cat once ranged across most of Africa and into Asia – today there are thought to be only 7,000 still living in the wild. The Cheetah is a protected species and is endangered, but there are a few countries that allow their legal export. But irregularities within the trade system means that abuse is significant – cheetah being taken from t...

"Joining Kuluna gangs is an expression of anger, injustice and frustration - to enact revenge on society" Kinshasa, a megacity in Central Africa and the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The majority of the 12-million city population are under 25, but rapid urbanisation, a lack of employment opportunities, violence and poverty has seen many of these young people joining street gangs kno...

For decades the illegal firearms market in the Southern African counties was driven by regional conflicts, many of those firearms likely ended up in the hands of criminal groups. But today, we are seeing a much more worrying trend - newer weapons entering the market, some through cross-border trafficking, but more are being sourced domestically. And according to a new research paper from the GI, i...

This is a story of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, complex corporate structures, human trafficking, arms smuggling, corruption and the capture of state institutions. In this collaborative episode with Deep Dive: Exploring Organized Crime , we travel to the rich fishing grounds off Puntland in Somalia and a fleet of vessels known as the "Somali 7", before looking into a political...

On the 20th April 2021, Idriss Déby Itno, the President of Chad for three decades died from wounds he reportedly suffered on the frontline against rebel fighters. His death could leave a power vacuum in a region that is already rife with instability, fuelling more uncertainty, violence, geopolitical posturing, and criminal opportunity in the Sahel. Chad is a major hub for trafficking activities in...

We would like to introduce the Africa and the Global Illicit Economy audience to a new podcast series that has been launched by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. It's called ‘ Too Many Enemies ’ – and the series looks at the assassination crisis in South Africa through the lens of a very specific case. In a brilliant bit of storytelling, this podcast is presented by Paul...

On March 24th 2021, Islamist insurgents carried out an attack on the coastal town of Palma in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado. The days of fighting, looting, massacres, private military contractors, and dramatic rescues led to thousands more people fleeing to escape the violence. The attack took place just a few kilometres from Total’s $20 billion-dollar natural gas project on the...

With the release of the new report: A Synthetic Age: The Evolution of Methamphetamine Markets in Eastern and Southern Africa - How do GI analysts research drugs? And what happens when, despite the best efforts, prosecution of illicit actors fails? Presenter : Lindy Mtongana Guests : Jason Eligh , Senior Expert at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Alastair Nelson , Senior...

Who is Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba (Dbeibah), Libya’s transitional prime minister? In this episode, we discuss political alliances, crime governance and the changing dynamics of Libya’s illicit economy under Dabaiba and the Government of National Unity (GNU). Emadeddin Badi , Senior Analyst, Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Rebecca Murray , Senior Analyst, Global I...

In South Africa, methamphetamine usage and the networks that support them are at all all-time high. And the assassination of a South African police detective highlights the channels by which illegal weapons and firearm licenses are sold to criminals.  And, new research from the Global Initiative reveals a tight-knit relationship between criminals and corrupt figures in Nairobi’s only dumpsite...

A decade after the 2011 revolution that led to the end of long-time dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s rule, unrest continues in Tunisia. In January citizens took to the streets to protest state repression, corruption, and poverty. How has endemic corruption and uncertainty since 2011 contributed to Tunisia’s current environment? How will the country’s flailing economy impact irregular migrat...

The end of 2020 gave way to monumental shifts in the landscape of illicit crime in Southern Africa. This week we discuss how violence in Nelson Mandela Bay, illicit gold mining in Zimbabwe, and the assassination of gangster Ernie Solomon are setting the stage for illicit crime in Southern Africa for the coming year. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speakers: Rukshana Parker , Analyst at the Global Initia...

Since the 2015 migrant crisis, restrictive measures, tougher policy interventions, and heightened securitization have become the hallmarks of border controls along the Mediterranean. Although it appears that these policy measures have had the desired effect, GI research reveals shifting dynamics and an interplay of cause and effect. In this episode, we investigate these dynamics and discuss them i...

Recent research from the GI in “The Politics of Crime: Kenya’s Gang Phenomenon” uncovers the collusion between political elites and gangs in Kenya. This week’s episode places findings from this research in the context of unequal access to resources, extrajudicial killings, rapidly urbanizing spaces, and Kenya’s 2022 election. Presenter: Lindy Mtongana Speakers: Simone Haysom , Senior Analyst, Glob...