The Colombian Government has offered to train West African countries to combat organized crime, particularly drug trafficking and money laundering, reported local media Tuesday.
Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Holguin made the offer at the International Seminar on Global Security and Africa- Latin America Transnational Organized Crime in Bogota. The event began Tuesday and was attended by Colombian Government officials and representatives from West African countries.
“It is impossible for one country, with its technical and financial resources, to undertake a strategy against organized crime and even common crime without the support of other partners,” said Holguin, who opened the meeting with Colombian Police Director Gen. Oscar Narajo.
“Therefore the purpose of this meeting is to make the best of our technical and technological abilities available to you (West Africa), so that coordinated action may enhance the resources for all of us,” she added.
West Africa is considered a “logistical bridge” in the path of drugs to European countries. In a report released last February, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) reported that West African countries are storage and transit points for cocaine going into Europe.
The meeting lead to the development of a “strategic analysis plan for future actions between Colombia and these countries to combat transnational organized crime,” the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The seminar is due to close on Friday.