Up to 2.3 million cocaine users in West, Central Africa – UN

There are an estimated 2.3 million cocaine users in West Africa and about 30 tonnes of cocaine and 400 kilogrammes of heroin were trafficked in the region during the year 2011, the United Nations has said.

The UN no longer sees West Africa as simply a transit route for drugs but that it has also “become a final destination” as there are now up to 2.3 million cocaine users in West and Central Africa, most of them in West Africa, according to the World Drug Report 2012.

Briefing the UN Security Council on drugs and crime in West Africa last week, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Mr Yury Fedotov expressed worries about the situation in the region.

Fedotov told the Council, that with increased trafficking, production and consumption of drugs, as well as piracy and insecurity, West Africa represents one of the key challenges for UNODC and remains one of its priorities.

The World Drug Report estimated that cocaine trafficking in West Africa generate some $900 million in annual profits for criminal networks.

The UNODC boss stressed the need for coordinated action in the face of these rapidly evolving transnational threats.

“The complex challenges West Africa faces represent a severe test for the individual countries and for the region as a whole. UNODC will continue to work with its partners to build the commitment and develop the necessary solutions in this extremely fluid and fast-moving environment,” he said.

To address the relatively new but growing phenomenon of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which has seen over 100 piracy attacks since 2010, UNODC co-led a United Nations assessment mission and is currently working on a national integrated programme for Benin, which includes efforts to address piracy and maritime security, officials indicated.

The UNODC said it is drafting the Secretary-General’s report on the impact of transnational organized crime in West Africa and the Sahel region.

“Later in the year, UNODC will issue a threat assessment for the region, emphasizing the transatlantic route for cocaine,” it said in statement.

“Our aim must be to help countries sustain their development, while also ensuring peace and prosperity in the region,” Mr. Fedotov concluded.

By Ekow Quandzie