Illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives were seized through  an operation called 'KAFOII' conducted by Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The seizure in question disrupted the trafficking networks used to supply terrorists in West Africa and the Sahel. 

Launched from 30 November to 6 December 2020, the operation in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger intercepted illicit firearms, ammunition and explosives and disrupted trafficking networks supplying terrorists in West Africa and the Sahel.

Front-line officers conducted checks at convenient locations: airports, seaports and land borders. More than 40,000 sticks of dynamite were seized in various locations. These materials were intended for the illegal mining of gold, which is a new source of funding for criminals in Africa. The operation mobilized 260 officers from many law enforcement agencies.

Pre-operational training provided jointly by INTERPOL and UNODC enabled relevant officials to acquire the skills necessary for the optimal use of INTERPOL tools and databases.

The millions of records of lost, stolen, trafficked or smuggled firearms contained in INTERPOL's Illicit Weapons Data Management and Tracing System (iARMS) were critical to the operation.

Front-line officers targeted smuggling hubs at airports and seaports as well as land borders in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger.

These officers carried out checks on more than 12,000 people, vehicles, containers and goods in international criminal databases, and also carried out searches, to determine whether the suspects were using stolen travel documents. were known to police in one of INTERPOL's 194 member countries. Or they were travelling in a stolen vehicle.

Concrete fruits of the concerted operation

In addition to the arrest of several suspected terrorists, this operation resulted in the seizure of firearms as well as illicit goods of various types, namely:  50 firearms, 40,593 sticks of dynamite, 28 detonating cords,   6,162 cartridges, 1,473 kilos of narcotics (cannabis and khat), 2,263 cartons of contraband medicines, 60,000 litres of smuggled fuel.

"Trafficking in firearms is a lucrative activity that fuels and finances other forms of serious crime," said Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of INTERPOL. "Operation KAFO II shows the need to link cases involving firearms and terrorists. in different countries," INTERPOL said.

The operation mobilized 260 officials from the police, gendarmerie, national commissions for the control of small arms and light weapons, customs and anti-trafficking airport services, border control services and the Public Prosecutor's Office of the four above-mentioned countries.

"The fight against illicit firearms trafficking requires close international and inter-agency cooperation if the origin of these weapons is to be identified and traffickers to justice," said Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director. it is important that UNODC and INTERPOL continue to work together and assist in ongoing investigations and cases," the UN official urged.

New trends in terrorist financing

 Operation KAFO II also aimed to disrupt the movement of other types of illicit goods used to finance criminal and terrorist activities in the region.

Among the new trends observed during this KAFO operation is the seizure of large quantities of smuggled gasoline in Niger and Mali. It is believed that the fuel originated in Nigeria and was illegally imported for the purpose of financing and supplying Al-Qaida and its allies. Law enforcement officers have also seized large quantities of hand sanitizing gel, gloves and contraband medicines, which are thriving in the market.

These officials have been trained in the use of INTERPOL's Illicit Weapons Data Management and Tracing System (iARMS) to be able to identify, identify and originate illicit firearms. Over the past year, iARMS has made it possible to identify several hundred firearms found in the four countries concerned by the operation, and to trace back to their country of manufacture or last known legal import, in order to reconstruct the history of their successive owners and their movements. By collecting this criminal intelligence as part of pre-operation investigations, participating countries were able to better target suspects, networks and hubs of firearms trafficking.

Investigations are under way following the seizures, which is why it is essential to trace the history and identify the successive owners of all illicit firearms found so that a solid case can be built for criminal prosecution.