In May 2023, a customs official in Douala, Cameroon stamped a shipment of timber for export from the Central African Republic to China. It seemed like a routine load, an everyday part of international trade.
Douala is the main seaport and economic capital of Cameroon. It manages just under 85% of the country’s international trade . The city is a hub for global trade from Cameroon and its neighbours, including the landlocked CAR and Chad. So it’s not surprising that criminal networks use the port as a transit route and gateway between West and Central Africa and international markets.
In 2022, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime mapped hotspots of illicit economies and violent conflict across West Africa. It developed the Illicit Economies and Instabilityto assess the role of these economies in fuelling instability. In all, 280 hubs were identified across 18 countries in West Africa.