NAS-Obs, WEA-Obs

Illicit markets and their intersection with conflict in the central Sahel

The business of war

...The central Sahel is mired in a period of deep volatility in which political instability, violent extremism, broader insecurity and illicit economies are becoming ever more tightly interwoven. In Burk...

Posted on 13 Nov 2026

Author(s): Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, Mark Micallef, Flore Berger, Matt Herbert, Alice Fereday, Alexandre Bish, Rhoumour Ahmet Tchilouta

NAS-Obs

Human smuggling and trafficking in North Africa and the Sahel – 2026

Human smuggling and trafficking in North Africa and the Sahel

...North Africa and the Sahel have long been central to migrant movement, human smuggling and trafficking, with their importance growing steadily since the late 1990s. Today, the two regions are critical...

Posted on 12 Nov 2026

Author(s): Matt Herbert, Rupert Horsley, Henry Harbottle

Gold Watch

Illicit gold and financial flows in Guyana and Suriname

Illicit gold and financial flows in Guyana and Suriname

...Illicit gold and associated financial flows are a growing concern across Latin America and the Caribbean. These two reports examine how criminal, political and economic dynamics shape the gold sectors...

Posted on 11 Nov 2026

UN-TOC Watch, UNTOC

A window for reform? Rethinking the UNTOC review mechanism after COP13

...Against the backdrop of longstanding resistance to addressing the shortcomings of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) in October...

Posted on 11 Nov 2026

Author(s): Ian Tennant

HT-Obs

Who will protect the upcoming elections from criminal networks?

...Haiti has set a new date for its general elections, which are now set to take place on 18 July 2027. This is the third time the date has been postponed since 2025, with Haiti’s Provisional Electoral...

Posted on 11 Nov 2026

Author(s): Romain Le-Cour-Grandmaison

Global Initiative

Gold at a crossroads

...The analysis presented here draws on a series of closed-door workshops convened by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in May and Jun...

Posted on 09 Nov 2026

Author(s): Sophia Pickles, Johanna Sydow

SA-Obs

Western Cape gang monitor – Issue 10

Western Cape gang monitor

...This is the 10th issue of the GI-TOC’s Western Cape Gang Monitor, an output of our South Africa Organized Crime Observatory. This series of bulletins tracks developments in Western Cape gang dynami...

Posted on 28 Oct 2026

Global Organized Crime Index

Syria’s Captagon market after the fall of Assad

...For more than a decade, Syria has been at the centre of the global Captagon trade. The amphetamine-type stimulant, which is cheap to produce, easy to transport and in high demand across the Gulf, was ...

Posted on 27 Oct 2026

Author(s): Ebru Erkan