Security Agenda in Mexico and Africa: Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trade

In this article, the authors review the several policies undertaken by Mexico against organized crime in the last decades, and the repercussions that the activities of the drug trafficking mafias have had in the Sahel and West Africa. They describe the development of the security agenda in Mexico regarding drug trafficking, its ties with the African continent, and the international policies undertaken recently to face common problems. Then, they analyze the evolution of organized crime in Africa, the factors that have boosted it, as well as the consequences that drug trafficking and mafias have in African policies and economies. The authors highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation ties between Mexico and this region to face these common national security challenges.