From: Yona Maro

The growth of illicit networks and organized crime in Africa are interwoven into the narrative of independence and statehood on the African Continent. In Africa, as with the world as a whole, criminal activity has integrated itself into the legitimate economy, and the line between legitimate and illegitimate behaviours is increasingly blurred.

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The objective of the meeting was to serve as a platform to better understand and assess the way that organized crime is engaging with governance, democracy, statehood, human security and development. By bringing together policymakers, practitioners and analysts dealing with these challenges, the Global Initiative hopes to develop a working network among relevant actors and share information that, in turn, can translate into more effective strategies to combat transnational organized crime in the region, or potentially more broadly. While the experiences, trajectories and contexts of each country, and the prevalent organized crime flows and structures with which it is grappling are different, a number of key themes emerged over the course of the meeting:
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read rest of article at …
http://www.globalinitiative.net/unholy-alliances-organized-crime-in-southern-africa/

Yona Fares Maro
Institut d’études de sécurité – SA