Recent law enforcement operations across East and Southern Africa underscore the region’s growing significance within global trafficking and smuggling networks. Authorities in South Africa, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and beyond continue to face the challenge of dismantling transnational criminal economies that operate across borders and connect local vulnerabilities to international markets.
On 19 August, South African police arrested six individuals alleged to be part of a syndicate involved in the illicit trade of rhinoceros horns. The operation, led by the Hawks, followed a seven-year investigation and revealed that nearly 1,000 horns, valued at over $14 million, had been trafficked to markets in Southeast Asia. The arrests coincided with the release of a report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), which identified East and Southern Africa as central hubs in the movement of wildlife products, narcotics, minerals, weapons and trafficked persons.
The report highlights how wildlife products such as rhino horn are typically smuggled by air from Johannesburg and Addis Ababa. Routes often pass through Dubai and Doha, and occasionally European cities, in attempts to avoid detection. This mirrors the globalised structure of criminal markets, where African nodes serve both as sources and transit points.
Drug trafficking further illustrates this transnational character. In June, Mozambican authorities intercepted more than 60 kilograms of heroin and methamphetamines in Nampula Province. These substances often originate in Afghanistan, passing through Pakistan and Iran before reaching Africa’s east coast via the Indian Ocean. From there, higher-quality narcotics move towards Australia and Europe, while lower-grade products are retained for local consumption, fuelling public health risks and dependency within the region.
Mineral trafficking also remains central to organised criminal economies. In January, three Chinese nationals were detained in eastern DRC with 12 gold bars and substantial sums of cash. The incident reflects the enduring role of illicit gold mining in eastern Congo, where armed groups finance their operations through sales to international middlemen. The DRC has recently sought legal redress, launching a case against multinational companies accused of profiting from so-called “conflict minerals” laundered through global supply chains.
The report further notes that extremist organisations, including affiliates of the Islamic State group, have exploited these illicit economies. In northern Mozambique and South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, militants have been linked to gold smuggling, extortion and kidnappings, further entrenching cycles of violence.
Human trafficking and smuggling remain acute in the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, particularly affecting vulnerable populations from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. In July, more than 100 migrants were freed from captivity in Libya after being held by traffickers who reportedly subjected them to torture while extorting their families.
Infrastructure nodes such as Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa and Durban port play an outsized role in these networks. Bole Airport, despite its scale, faces challenges in security and cargo screening, while Durban’s port is described as vulnerable due to inefficiency, corruption and its role in drug trafficking.
The GI-TOC report recommended measures including the establishment of regional observatories on trafficking trends, improved intelligence-sharing mechanisms, expanded screening at ports in Durban, Beira and Mombasa, and stronger diplomatic engagement with jurisdictions facilitating illicit financial flows. It also underscored the strategic importance of Madagascar, which is increasingly emerging as a trafficking hub for gold, graphite, wildlife and people.
The persistence of these interconnected economies highlights the need for a pan-African response that recognises the diversity of illicit markets and the local realities that sustain them. Organised crime in Africa cannot be reduced to singular narratives; it is simultaneously global and local, shaped by structural inequalities, limited governance capacity, and external demand. Addressing it requires coordinated strategies that go beyond enforcement, incorporating development, transparency and strengthened regional cooperation.
