The Eastern and Southern Africa Drug Control Commission, established in February 2023 in South Africa, will convene for its inaugural meeting in Mauritius on August 10th-11th. The organization is composed of former African presidents from the region and is troubled by the significant use of heroin in this part of the continent.
The Mauritius conference should explore local and regional capacities to fight against drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean in particular.
According to this Commission on Drugs in Eastern and Southern Africa, the region is facing an increase in the trafficking of heroin from Afghanistan to Western markets. This analysis is based on research published two years ago by the NGO Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
Although the South West Indian Ocean is not a direct transit route, heroin trafficking has serious consequences for drug use in Seychelles and Mauritius. These two small island states have among the highest rates of drug use per person in the world.
Another effect of this traffic is the emergence of Madagascar as a drug “hub” in this part of the world. Faced with this situation, the brand new Commission for the Control of Drugs in Eastern and Southern Africa will be called upon to define a strategy during the meeting in Mauritius.
The group includes notable individuals such as former African presidents Kgalema Motlanthe from South Africa, Joaquim Chissano from Mozambique, and Cassam Uteem from Mauritius. Additionally, South African professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim is also a member.