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Cocaine Trade ... A Threat to West Africa

In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. (UNODC via AP)
In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. (UNODC via AP)
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Cocaine Trade ... A Threat to West Africa

In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. (UNODC via AP)
In this photo released by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, shows officials burning seized drugs in Niamey, Niger, Monday, June 26, 2023. (UNODC via AP)

The volume of drugs transiting through West African countries, from Latin America to European markets, has significantly increased in the last decade, a recent UN report revealed.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said authorities in West African countries seized an average of 13 kg per year in the period 2015–2020. The quantity increased to more than 100 times in 2022 with 1,466 kg of seized cocaine.

More worrying, however, is the relationship between drug trafficking networks and terrorist groups in the Sahel region of Africa and the way cocaine trade has become the largest source of funding for terrorism. It has even replaced kidnapping western nationals for ransom.

UNODC’s report raises the alarm about the dangers of drug trafficking in West Africa. It says the conflict-ridden Sahel and sub-Saharan region is becoming an influential route for drug trafficking to European countries.

Network of Routes

While cocaine trafficking routes across African countries are varied and fragmented, reports suggest that the majority is being transported by sea via the coasts of Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal, then trafficked overland from Mali and the Niger then onwards to North African countries as Algeria, Libya and Morocco. The cocaine is then transported across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Also, as drug trafficking networks developed and grew, they began using cargo planes to transport cocaine from countries in South America to the Sahara, and then to the Sahara.

One of the most notorious mega-smuggling operations was uncovered in 2009 when a Boeing 727 aircraft took off from Venezuela allegedly carrying between seven and 11 tons of cocaine.

Smuggling Continues

While chaos engulfs the Sahel and West African countries, drug trafficking networks continue to grow and expand.

In mid-April, Senegal's customs authorities have intercepted a record-breaking haul of cocaine. Over a ton of the illicit drug was confiscated from a truck near the border with Mali.

It was concealed in packets and stashed in bags, and was found in a lorry in a small town of Kidira.

Valued at $146 million, this haul marks the largest inland seizure of cocaine in Senegal.

Also, the Senegalese Customs in 2022 reported seizing 300 kg of cocaine, valued at almost €37 million, from a refrigerated truck in Kidira, Senegal, on the border with Mali.

But the largest shipment was seized in November 2023, when the Senegalese navy has confiscated nearly three tons of cocaine from a ship off the coast of Senegal, marking one of the country’s biggest drug hauls.

In Mauritania, security authorities seized last July a ship carrying 1.2 tons of cocaine, marking the largest seizure of cocaine in the country’s history.

On 18 June 2023, Mauritania seized 2.3 tons of cocaine hidden in a ship intercepted off the country’s coast. Several Mauritanians and people of other nationalities were arrested.

According to UNODC, from an average of 13 kg per year in the period 2015–2020, the quantity of cocaine seized in the Sahel countries increased to 41 kg in 2021 and 1,466 kg in 2022 with the bulk reported by Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger.

The report said drug seizures have become very common in the Sahel and West Africa, where cocaine is the most commonly seized drug.

It noted that the region has become a “focal point” for smuggling networks to transport drugs to European and Asian markets.

Also, the UN report points to other risks facing the Sahel region, saying it is not just a transit area, but has become a consumer market as well.

Local Market!

In its report, UNODC also revealed that the Sahel region has transitioned from a transit route for illegal drugs headed to Europe from South America to a booming illegal drug market with a troubling rise in domestic users.

Francois Patuel, Head of the Research Unit at UNODC, said the production of cocaine is becoming more and more local in the Sahel region. He said in 2020, law enforcement in the Niger reported the dismantlement of two clandestine drug laboratories producing crack cocaine destined for the local market.

“We've had reports of rising crack cocaine consumption in Agadez, Niger driven by payment in kind,” said Lucia Bird, director of the West Africa Observatory of illicit economies at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. “Smaller traffickers get paid in drugs and offload it onto local markets because they don't have the contacts in more lucrative consumption destinations.”

Spread of Drug Addiction

Fatou Sow Sarr, ECOWAS commissioner of human development and social affairs, said in a policy brief that “the heaviest burden of drug use is shouldered by the age group 10 to 29, thus investing more in mental health among young people is essential to protecting our children and youths against the use of illicit drugs.”

A report said cannabis is the leading cause of treatment for substance use disorder and dominates the list of drug seizures in the region. The amount of cannabis seized increased from 139 tons in 2020 to 631 tons in 2021 to 892 tons in 2022.

According to N’guessan Badou Roger, a treatment, research and epidemiological officer from Côte d’Ivoire, “cannabis dominates West Africa statistics because it grows easily in the climatic condition, has a mode of consumption that is not restrictive smoking, and is more accessible and less expensive than other drugs.”

In Senegal, the most abused drug in 2021 was cocaine, which accounted for more than 60% of the people seeking treatment. In Côte d’Ivoire, nearly 80% of people seeking drug treatment were addicted to cocaine or crack, while more than 46% of the people in treatment in Nigeria used cocaine.

Drugs: Source for Financing Terrorism through Sahel Region

The UNODC report said terrorist groups are now more involved in the drug trafficking market to finance their activities.

It noted that both al-Qaeda and ISIS are involved in transporting shipments of drugs, including cocaine and cannabis gum.

“Drug trafficking in the Sahel undermines stability and development in the region. Armed groups are directly involved in trafficking,” Patuel said.

“They use drug money to sustain their operations and to buy weapons while competing over trafficking routes. Finally drug trafficking fuels corruption and money laundering which undermines the rule of law and the development of resilient economies,” he added.

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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saddam Hussein’s entourage never expected that they would one day find themselves in jail. It never occurred to them that the American military machine would use all of its might to oust Saddam’s regime and overthrow the ruling party and army. They never believed that forces allied to Iran would assume positions of power in the new regime.

Times changed and Saddam, who controlled the fate of the nation and its people, found himself in prison where he counted the days until his execution. The man was unyielding until his last breath and his will remained unbroken.

The men who made up the Revolutionary Command Council or government soon found themselves in prison. They were interrogated by the Americans and Iraqis and a death sentence was always going to be their fate.

In the second installment of his interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan, late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law and second secretary, recalled the execution of his colleagues and relatives. He also recalled how he married Hala, the youngest of Saddam’s daughters, and how the late president acted around his family, away from state affairs.

Other officials who were held along with Saddam included “Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, my uncle and member of the Revolutionary Command Council Ali Hussein al-Majid, my other uncle Abed Hassan al-Majid, head of the Revolutionary Command Council Awad al-Bandar, Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan, Secretary Abed Hammoud and aide to the intelligence chief Farouk Hijazi,” said Mustafa.

He showed Asharq Al-Awsat a video that recently came to light of Khodair al-Khozaei, the former vice president during the American occupation. “In it, he said that he saw no justification for the death sentence against Abed Hammoud. Most dangerous of all, he confessed that he visited Iran and consulted with a judicial official, who encouraged him to sign the death sentence, which he did,” added Mustafa.

“The truth is that we sensed from the beginning that our trial was a means of revenge acting at Iran’s orders. One day, Abed Hammoud was informed that he was going to be moved to hospital and later that day the guards informed us that he was executed,” he continued.

“Mr. President (Saddam) expected to be executed. The truth is that his very existence, whether in jail or otherwise, was a source of concern for them. I can firmly attest that the members of the leadership bravely faced their death sentence. None of them showed any weakness or faltered,” he revealed.

He recalled the day they informed Barzan and Awad that they were going to be executed. “I was working out with al-Bandar when we received the news. I am not exaggerating when I say that he maintained his optimism even in that moment. They were executed the next day. Days later, I learned that Abed Hassan al-Majid, Farouk Hijazi and Hadi Hassan, an intelligence officer, were executed,” Mustafa said.

“Let me tell you what used to happen. One day, they came up with false charges that before the US occupation, I gave Mr. Khamis al-Khanjar (a Sunni politician) a sum of 250,000 dollars. Of course, the charge is baseless. They told me that I would remain in jail for life if I did not confess to the charge. I refused and told them that I enjoyed normal relations with Khanjar,” he went on to say.

“They later came up with a different scenario. They told me that they would take me to the Iraqi embassy in Jordan if I confessed to the charge and that I would late be released in Amman with a hefty sum of money. I told them that I would reject whatever they have to offer because I would not abandon my values to betray Khanjar, who was a friend,” he stated.

“They later accused me of complicity in the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes, which I had nothing to do with,” he added.

Saddam Hussein with his daughter Hala in this undated photo. (Getty Images)

First call after Saddam’s execution

Mustafa recalled the first telephone call he had with his wife Hala and her mother, Sajida Khairallah Talfah, right after Saddam’s execution. “Five days after Mr. President’s martyrdom, I contacted my family. I spoke with my wife, and she was in very good spirits. She had very high faith and patience. I asked her about her mother, and she reassured me that she was also doing very well despite the pain,” he said.

“I pray that Gold Almighty will give her health and a long life. We have always derived our strength from her. My mother-in-law lost her two sons, Uday and Qusay, and then her husband. She had played a major role in supporting her husband from the beginning of his struggle. She always used to support him and stood by him throughout his career,” he remarked.

First meetings with Saddam

Mustafa recalled the early days of his meeting with Saddam. “They started when I began working for his special guard. That was when I first met him. Like most Iraqis and Arabs, I believed that he would be a difficult person, but the truth is that I saw him as a paternal figure,” he added. “When you work with him, you begin to develop a different opinion than the public impression. He was a very paternal figure.”

During their first meeting, they learned that they came from the same tribe and were distant cousins.

“I stayed by Mr. President’s side for around 20 years. I started off as part of his personal guard and he then tasked me with people’s affairs, meaning seeing to their needs and addressing their problems. He was very concerned with the people’s affairs and refused any one of them to be wronged. The truth is that many laws were amended or changed at the time following complaints from the people,” he revealed.

“There were two telephones at Mr. President’s office, and both were connected to my office. Whoever had a problem could call the president through the citizens’ line. I used to answer their calls and listen to their problems and set an appointment with the president. Sometimes I used to ask the caller to come in person with their request so that their problem could be tackled. Sometimes Mr. President would interject on the call to ask about the issue and would request to talk to the citizen on the line,” Mustafa said.

“He would listen to the person’s grievance and tell him to head to the dedicated office to tackle the issue. (...) So we used to receive hundreds of citizens every week to solve their problems. Mr. President was very concerned about these issues,” he stressed. “I have never met another person like him. He would listen, care and then come up with a solution.”

President’s son-in-law

Asharq Al-Awsat asked Mustafa about when he asked Hala to marry him. “It was in 1994. As is the tradition in Iraq, I headed with my uncles to Saddam’s family to ask her hand in marriage,” he said. “One of my uncles made the request to Mr. President on my behalf and he agreed and welcomed it.”

“A judge was summoned immediately for the ceremony, and we were married. We had lunch at the president’s house that same day. I first met Hala on September 12, and we were married on September 26. It was a short engagement in line with tradition.”

“Mr. President used to separate state affairs from his relationship with his family. His work was completely separate from family, which had nothing to do with political or state affairs. It never intervened in those issues. Mr. President was a man of state when he was doing his job, and a father when he came home. He treated his family as if he were its father – the perfect father. Every family wishes to have a father that can measure up to him because he looked after all of his children and all of his relatives,” Mustafa said.

“When he sat down to the dinner table, he himself used to serve his own food and ask his children about their day. He would serve them food and generally cared very much for them. The state is one thing and family is another. At the same time, he acted as a father to all Iraqis. He treated them fairly. This is Saddam Hussein,” stressed Mustafa. “He was always keen that Iraqis be treated justly and that none of them be wronged. He was also very firm with his children if they made any mistake.”

Saddam’s hobbies

Saddam was a “very traditional Arab man. He loved traditional Arab and Iraqi dishes. He himself used to cook his own version of the traditional Iraqi dish al-Habeet. (...) He also loved seafood and would cook the Masgouf fish dish himself,” Mustafa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

His hobbies included horseback riding, hunting, swimming and sharpshooting. “Occasionally, before heading to the front to fight against Iran, he would visit the al-Amarah region, where gazelle and geese are abundant, to hunt. As circumstances became more challenging, he limited himself to fishing, which he did regularly,” he added.

He was a skilled shooter from his youth. “Generally, growing up in a tribe, children are taught at a young age how to become a good shooter. This is part of our upbringing. He was also an avid reader. He was always reading something,” Mustafa said of Saddam.