Cotonou-Benin. UNODC, through its Global Firearms Programme (GFP), supported the organization from 3 to 6 April 2023 of the first regional Joint Investigation Team (JIT) meeting between Burkina Faso and Benin, aimed at strengthening the investigation, prosecuting, adjudication, and addressing the transnational aspects of specific firearms trafficking cases.
Magistrates from Burkina Faso’s Counter Terrorism Pole and officers from its Investigation Unit, together with magistrates from Benin’s Court against financial and terrorism offenses (CRIET for its acronym in French) and investigators from the Criminal Brigade (Republican Police) discussed and shared information on ongoing cases which were identified by the two countries with UNODC support. The objective of the visit to Benin was to collect additional evidence and set up offences investigation and prosecution strategies. The Joint Investigation Team is part of a broader effort in the sub region aimed at intensifying judicial and police bilateral and international cooperation through the establishment of formal and informal and direct cooperation mechanisms. The mission also contributed to increase technical and operational capacities of magistrates and investigators in order gain specific skills to conduct firearms trafficking parallel investigations.
As a result of the mission, the two countries established a police cooperation and information exchange mechanism between the “Brigade Spéciale d’Investigation Antiterroriste of Burkina Faso (BSIAT for its acronym in French) and the “Brigade Criminelle of Benin” in order to pursue investigations and strengthen the fight against firearms trafficking and related offences, including terrorism.
This initiative was made possible thanks to the support of European Union through the DISRUPT project, a joint initiative with INTERPOL aimed at preventing organized crime, including the trafficking of firearms. Project DISRUPT is part of the Global Illicit Flows Programme of the European Union.
This project is funded by the European Union
