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Sudan, Libya, and Asia: Hotspots for Criminal Networks

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A recent report has highlighted the presence of multiple prominent criminal networks in Egypt, with significant transnational linkages and involvement in human trafficking and smuggling.

Notable Criminal Markets

Politically motivated and militant actors may play a major role in some of these criminal markets, including extremist groups such as the Islamic State and smaller splinter groups containing radicalized former members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mafia-style actors are also known to operate in Egypt, primarily in trafficking and smuggling operations between Egypt and Sudan, Israel, and Libya.

Authoritarian Regime Fights Crime with Heavy-Handed Methods

Egypt has been described as an authoritarian regime with limited civil liberties, but the government aims to take a leading position in Africa on issues linked to organized crime and violent extremism. However:

Egyptian authorities often fight crime and terrorism in a heavy-handed manner that lacks strategic cohesion and accountability, violating human rights norms.
The country’s integrity systems are not capable of adequately checking corruption risks and do not operate independently.

International Cooperation

Egypt’s track record on international cooperation on combating transnational organized crime is mixed, with limited cooperation with countries such as France and the United States mainly focusing on counterterrorism.

Judiciary Lacks Independence, Corruption Widespread

The judiciary in Egypt lacks independence and suffers from high levels of corruption. This leads to:

Due process being often disregarded, and politically motivated rulings are common.
Prosecution services and courts lacking training and focus on low-level offenders rather than organized crime.

Human Rights Concerns

Reports of physical abuse, particularly against political opponents, are common, with many detainees or criminal defendants confessing under torture.
Egypt’s prison system is overcrowded and suffers from poor sanitary conditions, while law enforcement strategies often rely on heavy-handed methods such as arbitrary arrests and torture.

Economic and Financial Environment Challenged

Egypt’s economy was previously on a trajectory of reform and stabilization, but the country continues to suffer from:

High levels of debt and unemployment.
Weak domestic revenue mobilization and a large proportion of economic activity occurring in the informal sector are constraints to the transformation of the Egyptian economy.

Poverty and Money Laundering

Despite economic advances, Egypt has seen a rise in the proportion of the population living below the poverty line.
The country is at medium risk of money laundering and terrorist financing, with limited anti-money laundering capacities and authorities failing to sever financial flows of criminal and terrorist organizations.

Egypt severely lacks protection mechanisms for victims and witnesses of crime, including:

Few services delivered by NGOs and civil society.
Limited access to treatment options for drug users and their families, which are mostly run by civil society organizations with international funding.

Crime Prevention

Crime prevention strategies in Egypt are poorly resourced, led, or implemented.
The government regularly targets NGOs and the media, leading to a shrinking space for both civil society and media. With multiple journalists imprisoned, Egypt is emerging as one of the countries where journalists face the highest risk of imprisonment.

Global Organized Crime Index

The Global Organized Crime Index ranks Egypt as a country with significant challenges in combating organized crime, particularly in terms of:

Corruption
Lack of independence in the judiciary
Limited international cooperation