The Crime-Terror Nexus Reloaded? An Appraisal of the Debate in North Africa and the Sahel

Abstract

Describing the (alleged) interconnexions and convergence between criminal and terrorist actors, the notion of “crime-terror nexus” has become a recurring trope in security discourses over the past few decades. In particular, the concept has been frequently applied with reference to North Africa and the Sahel, where the coexistence and apparent intimacy of smuggling networks and jihadist groups fuelled media and policy speculations. Building on more than a decade of lively scholarly discussion, the panel aims to assess the relevance and appropriateness of the “crime-terror nexus” framing to describe today’s security dynamics in North Africa and the Sahel. Evidence made available by ethnographic research makes it possible to enrich our understanding of the nexus, but also put forward alternative framings of the relations between organised crime and terrorism. The in-depth investigation of the actual mechanisms underpinning “crime-terror nexus” is expected to enable the overall appraisal of the notion’s explanatory purchase in a most-likely case such as North African region and the Sahel. The panel thus welcomes empirically rich studies that explore the complex interactions between criminal and terrorist actors, as well as the discursive articulations of “nexus” in security policies, strategies and interventions and their political implications.

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