A perspectiva da população em relação ao crime organizado na África Ocidental e no Sahel

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines community perspectives on organized crime and illicit trafficking in West Africa and the Sahel, specifically focusing on Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Niger. It argues that in regions with weak state presence and extreme poverty, trafficking is often viewed not as a crime but as a necessary survival strategy and a legitimate path to social success. The document details how this criminal economy erodes traditional authority, fuels corruption at all levels of government, and creates a cycle of state alienation, while proposing community-led solutions centered on state integrity and sustainable economic alternatives.

• In the communities studied, illicit trafficking and organized crime are not perceived as criminal behaviors but rather as 'modes de vie' (lifestyles) and essential resilience strategies for survival due to extreme poverty and a lack of legitimate livelihoods.
• Local populations distinguish between economic trafficking and 'organized crime'; the latter is restricted to violent acts such as homicide, street banditry, and armed robbery, while smuggling is seen as a normal economic activity.
• Wealth acquired through trafficking is widely viewed as a sign of success and courage rather than a crime, leading to a 'reversal of moral values' where youth prioritize learning to drive trafficking convoys over formal education.
• The growth of the criminal economy has disrupted traditional social structures, eroding the authority of clan leaders and imams while increasing the vulnerability of women and children through forced marriages and the rise of prostitution along trafficking routes.
• There is a deep interlinkage between organized crime and state administration, where illicit profits buy political influence and security forces are often repurposed to protect trafficking rather than combat it, creating a pervasive culture of impunity.
• While there is no direct ideological link between trafficking and terrorism, illicit funds are used to enrich armed militias and insurgent groups; for example, AQIM has been known to tax trafficking convoys for safe passage.
• State absence and corruption have led citizens to identify more with subnational or transnational entities (family, tribe, ethnicity) than with the nation-state, viewing the state primarily as a punitive force represented by 'the uniform and the gun'.
• Community members express a desire for a positive state presence, but emphasize that international interventions often weaken state sovereignty by bypassing national institutions or focusing on security goals disguised as development.
• Effective responses to organized crime require providing credible, long-term economic alternatives that can compete with trafficking profits, as short-term labor projects are viewed with disdain by youth already earning high incomes as guides or drivers.

APA

Reitano, T., & Shaw, M. (2014). A perspectiva da população em relação ao crime organizado na África Ocidental e no Sahel. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper254_Port.pdf

Chicago

Reitano, Tuesday, and Mark Shaw. A perspectiva da população em relação ao crime organizado na África Ocidental e no Sahel. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper254_Port.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Reitano |first1=Tuesday |last2=Shaw |first2=Mark |title=A perspectiva da população em relação ao crime organizado na África Ocidental e no Sahel |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=March 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper254_Port.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{reitano2014perspectiva, author = {Reitano, Tuesday and Shaw, Mark}, title = {{A perspectiva da população em relação ao crime organizado na África Ocidental e no Sahel}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Paper254_Port.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }