grey dynamics

Cocaine & Cashew: Status Quo in Africa’s First Narco-State

June 13, 2019

Fredrik Hellem

    Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has been plagued with corruption and instability. No elected leader has finished their full term of five years while the corruption rate in the country is ranked as the 8th worst in the world.   Meanwhile, its GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world with two-thirds of the population of about 1,8 million under the poverty line with as many as 1 million people in extreme poverty.…

A 180 in Botswana: The End to the Ban on Elephant Hunting

June 3, 2019

Dylan Ramshaw

  On 22 May, Botswana lifted its 5-year ban on elephant hunting, citing the growing conflict between humans and animals, and the destruction of crops, as the reasoning. The rolling-back of safeguards to protect elephants, and wildlife in general, has been a priority for President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s first year in office. Soon after his election, in June 2018, President Masisi announced the creation of a cabinet committee to review the ban.   In the announcement of the decision by the…

Hunting for ‘Gangsters’ on Facebook in Kenya

April 29, 2019

Dylan Ramshaw

    For some time, Kenya has faced an Islamist terrorist threat, including an ongoing battle with al-Shabaab, which is coordinating attacks out of Somalia. In January, the group attacked a hotel and office complex in an affluent area of Nairobi, lobbing grenades and shooting indiscriminately, killing 21 people. In 2013, Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi was taken over by al-Shabaab who went on a killing spree leaving 67 people dead.   However, Kenya faces a significant internal security threat…

Malawi’s Disgrace
: Human trafficking continues to fuel organized crime

April 23, 2019

Dylan Ramshaw

      Trafficking in persons remains a serious concern in Malawi. The landlocked country ranks among the world's most densely populated and poorest countries in the world. Malawi is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking is believed more common than that of transnational trafficking, and forced labor exists, particularly on tobacco plantations. The government’s inability to fully implement key legislation or policies…

AMLO’s New Plan for Security in Mexico
: A Promise of Change?

April 3, 2019

Dylan Ramshaw

     Since 2006, the drug war has left more than 200,000 dead, 40,000 disappeared, and with approximately 26,000 unidentified corpses and over 1,100 mass graves. The violence has also directly affected local politicians, journalists and women. In 2012, the drug war death toll was around 15,000, but peaked in 2018 with more than 33,000 murders, up by 15% from 2017.           On 1 Jul 2018, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO as he is known in…

A Military ‘Solution’
: Will this be enough to rid Peru of Illegal Mining?

March 26, 2019

Dylan Ramshaw

    In February, the government of Peru launched an all-out and what is planned to be a  "sustained" campaign to eradicate illegal mining in the department of Madre de Dios. The raid included 1,272 police agents, 300 members of the armed forces, and 70 representatives from Public Prosecutor’s Office. Madre de Dios borders both Brazil and Bolivia. The region is not new to interventions by law enforcement. Since, in 2010 local and national authorities have attempted to curb illegal…