Organized Crime in Mozambique: Challenges and Limitations
Complexity of Criminal Networks
Mozambique’s criminal landscape is characterized by complex relationships between private sector actors, government officials, and foreign criminal networks. This complexity makes it challenging to distinguish between different types of crime.
Foreign Involvement
Foreign criminal actors, particularly Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Tanzanian, Somali, and Pakistani networks, are involved in various illicit economies, including:
- Illegal timber trade
- Ivory smuggling
- Fishing trade
- Ruby smuggling
- Heroin trade
Government Corruption
The Mozambican government’s efforts to combat organized crime are hindered by widespread corruption within the state apparatus and law enforcement officials’ involvement in different crimes.
Lack of Effective Laws and Policies
Mozambique lacks a national strategy against organized crime, and its laws pertaining to:
- Human smuggling
- Trafficking of persons
- Drug production
- Gun control
- Arms trafficking
are not effectively enforced.
Judicial System Issues
The judicial system is plagued by corruption, resulting in high levels of impunity for organized crime offenders. There are no specialized units aimed at countering organized crime.
Law Enforcement Challenges
Law enforcement in Mozambique suffers from:
- Poor equipment
- Ineffective specialized units to combat organized crime
- Widespread corruption
Economic Vulnerabilities
Mozambique is considered a vulnerable country to money laundering due to:
- Low cooperation among stakeholders
- Weak case management, skills, and resources
- Potentially insufficient political will
Civil Society Limitations
Mozambique has weak victim and witness support capacity. Civil society organizations (CSOs) face challenges in:
- Prevention strategies: Limited prevention strategies against organized crime, with low community involvement in preventative measures.
- Policies regulating foreign recruiters engaging in forced labor: No effective policies or laws regulating foreign recruiters engaging in forced labor.
- Capacity to tackle cyber-related crimes: Limited capacity to tackle cyber-related crimes.