Publication

This report examines the link between drug trafficking and instability in the West Sahel region, focusing on the international drug route to the European market through Mali. More specifically, the author looks at 1) how illicit economies have reshaped political and armed mobilization in Mali; 2) the geography of the desert region and traditions and customs related to the movement of people; 3) the importance of border controls on frontiers cross-cutting drug trade routes; and 4) the social roots and ideology of the jihadist group The Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).