Drug trafficking in Africa jumps sixfold in two years – AFRICOM

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has issued a stark warning regarding the dramatic rise in illegal drug trafficking across the African continent. According to Brig Gen Paul Filcek, Director of Logistics at AFRICOM, the volume of illicit narcotics movement has surged more than sixfold in just the last two years.

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Across the African continent we face growing and converging threats on our mutual security, safety, and prosperity, including human trafficking and a dramatic rise in illegal narcotics trafficking, now more than six times what it was just two years ago.

Filcek disclosed these alarming figures during a virtual media briefing from the 2026 Africa Logistics and Communications Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He emphasized that this escalating drug trade, coupled with other transnational crimes like human trafficking, underscores the urgent need for enhanced cooperation among African countries and their global allies. "Across the African continent we face growing and converging threats on our mutual security, safety, and prosperity, including human trafficking and a dramatic rise in illegal narcotics trafficking, now more than six times what it was just two years ago," Filcek stated.

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Meeting and defeating these grave threats requires cooperation, coordination, effective and reliable communications, and the ability to rapidly move people, equipment, and supplies to points of need, often over great distances and challenging conditions.

Combating these intensifying threats, he explained, requires effective coordination, reliable communication systems, and improved logistics capabilities. These elements are crucial for the rapid deployment of personnel, equipment, and supplies across Africa's vast and often challenging terrains. The symposium itself, jointly hosted by AFRICOM and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Defence, saw record participation from 40 African nations and 27 private companies, focusing on the inseparable link between logistics and communications in modern security operations.

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Logistics and communications are the decisive edge because they set the limits of our operational capabilities.

Filcek also pointed to the transformative impact of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, networked drones, and advanced satellite systems on defense operations. He stressed that these advancements necessitate strengthened regional cooperation and interoperability among African nations to effectively adapt and respond to evolving security landscapes. The event aimed to foster collaboration, recognizing that "When our partners succeed, we succeed."

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When our partners succeed, we succeed.