AU Action Against Drug Trafficking

(PANA)-Africa’s ambitions of integrating and promoting its values in a world of disparities would be unattainable unless the scourge of illicit drugs abuse and trafficking was tackled head-on and in a collective effort, a senior official of the African Union (AU) said here Thursday.

Bience Gawanas, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, told a ministerial conference on drug control and crime prevention in Africa that everybody should take the trafficking and abuse of drugs as well as related crimes seriously.

"I need not remind you of the numerous acts of violence and crimes against humanity that are inflicted upon innocent civilians, particularly women and children, by persons high on drugs, especially during civil strife and armed conflict.

"Instead of development and academic advancement, our youth and adolescents get introduced to drug abuse in educational institutions and other settings.

"It is, therefore important that awareness to this danger is raised early and active prevention instituted in schools and homes," Gawanas told the session aimed at renewing the African commitment to fight abuse and traffic of illicit drugs and prevent crime.

Production, abuse and trafficking in drugs as well as related crime, Gawanas said, were human security and development issues that should be addressed if the AU was to achieve its objectives.

The commissioner pointed out drug trafficking and related crimes such as money laundering, trafficking in humans and corruption are global problems that require the cooperation of all countries to overcome.

An African experts’ meeting held here this week ahead of the ministerial session considered a study on cannabis cultivation, trafficking and abuse of illicit substances in Africa and alternative development programmes to counteract the problem.

The study, facilitated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, noted that Africa is the world’s largest producer of cannabis and that the challenge posed by the drug is intensifying.

At the end of the two-day meeting, the ministers will come up with a reviewed plan of action as a framework for guiding AU member states to fight trafficking and abuse of drugs while promoting related crime prevention between now and 2012.

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