Drug War Aggravates Existing Problems

In recent years, the West African country of Guinea-Bissau has become an important hub for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe. The most conservative estimate, by the the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, says that 40-50 tons of cocaine pass through Africa per year, or $1.8 Billion US dollars per year. This other estimates go as high as 240 tons per year.

On radio interview with DRS 4 News Heinz Krummenacher, Managing Director of the swiss peace Foundation and CEO of BEFORE, made the point that the war against drugs is causing the break down of Guinea-Bissau, but rather that the drug war aggravates already existing problems. “The drug trade and its related problem –organized crime – lead to still more instability in that fragile country,” says Krummenacher. “For the local people, the drug cartels are actually a symptom of an already ailing society. The main problem in the country is the lack of a strong state and structures for the resolution of political conflicts.”

To listen to the entire interview in German, use the media player below.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

To read an English transcript of the interview, click here.

You can help strengthen Guinea-Bissau by addressing the root causes of its conflict. Visit our Take Action page to learn more.