International Day for the Prevention of and Fight against All Forms of Transnational Organized Crime

  Authorities had unveiled the stone just weeks after the country’s decades-long ban on rough-diamond exports was lifted, and it was hailed as a sparkling symbol of economic recovery. This promise soon gave way, however, to familiar patterns of opacity, predation and capture. The incident reflects a broader trend. In the CAR, the mining sector is in the grip of exploitative networks that thrive on the very violence they perpetuate. Historically dominated by actors with ties to China and Lebanon, as well as neighbouring countries such as Cameroon, Chad and Sudan, the sector is now witnessing the emergence of foreign security allies, including Wagner and Rwanda. Their methods differ greatly: Wagner relies on terror and predation to achieve its economic objectives, whereas Rwanda pursues active economic diplomacy, combining formal investments with shadow networks. Since late 2020, Wagner and Rwandan forces have become key players in the CAR. By rescuing the government from a rebel...

  Analysis from the Americas Region observatories on llegal mining and gold supply chains in Ecuador . In recent years, Ecuador’s gold sector has transformed dramatically. Once a largely informal livelihood, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has evolved into a criminally exploited industry. This report investigates this transformation and the illicit gold supply chains that are fueling it. Drawing on interviews, fieldwork, and open-source analysis, the report examines how systemic vulnerabilities have enabled organized crime groups (OCGs) to capture sections of the ASGM sector and launder gold and illicit finance into formal supply chains. With limited government oversight, widespread corruption, and a culture of impunity, Ecuador’s gold sector has become a major source of income for OCGs, alongside growing violence, environmental degradation, and financial crime. Let's  focus on the critical gold processing hubs of Zaruma and Portovelo, in El Oro province . Gold e...

  This report series provides an in-depth analysis of the dynamics driving illegal mining in Ghana , its regional spread, and the actors profiting from it. Based on three years of field research, remote sensing analysis, interviews and desk research, part 1 examines two key case study regions—Western and Savannah—and explores how unlicensed ASGM has grown in scale, complexity, and impact. Part 2 will explore illicit gold supply chains and financial networks in more depth. In places like the Western region, satellite imagery shows dramatic increases in mining activity, with many operations occurring outside officially licensed zones. The environmental impacts are stark. Unregulated use of mercury in gold processing is harming water systems , while mining expansion is causing deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Remote sensing tools—including radar interferometry, flow accumulation analysis, and computer vision models—have been employed to track these developments and predict f...