The linkages between terrorism and organized crime pose a serious threat to international security and development. This nexus has been a source of growing concern for the international community, especially when terrorists benefit from organized crime as a means of financial or logistical support.
The UN has addressed this issue in several resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 2482 (2019) and 2462 (2019), as well as through the seventh Review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in 2021.
These issues are particularly relevant for Sahel countries, as the region has been subject to a growing terrorism threat and has recognized the need to address this phenomenon. As such, addressing these challenges and threats is one of the key priorities identified in the recent Review of the Strategy.
To help countries respond to this threat, UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch and THE United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) delivered a workshop in Mali on 8-9 November 2021. The workshop was attended by 12 participants representing different institutions of the Malian criminal justice system, including the Ministry of Justice, the Specialised Judicial Pole, the National Financial Intelligence Processing Unit, the Directorate General of State Security and the Tribunal de Grande Instance from the fourth commune of Bamako.
The objective of the workshop was to discuss the national and international legal framework to counter the phenomenon and to present good practices and challenges in judicial cooperation.
Discussions and debates during the workshop focused on trafficking of counterfeit medicines, the treatment of minors accused of terrorism in the Malian judicial system, de-radicalization and rehabilitation centers as well as hawala and crypto-currency.
Bringing together participants from different Malian law enforcement institutions was an important component of the workshop. It promoted inter-agency coordination and cooperation by facilitating a discussion of the unique challenges faced by the participants, and ultimately, worked to identify ways to tackle the global phenomenon.
This activity was conducted with the financial support of France.