The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) have opened talks to establish a framework for cooperation, marking a new attempt to rebuild relations following years of political tensions over sovereignty, military coups, and regional sanctions.

The two blocs held their inaugural ministerial dialogue in Dakar, Senegal, on October 17, where they agreed to establish joint thematic working groups to develop a Cooperation Framework Agreement. The meeting brought together representatives of ECOWAS and the AES Confederation, comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

In a joint communiqué issued after the meeting, both sides welcomed the “spirit of fraternity, mutual respect, and openness” that characterized their discussions, recalling the historical, sociocultural and economic ties that unite the peoples of West Africa.

The parties also agreed that their future relations should be guided by “good neighborliness, respect for sovereignty, dignity, and the well-being of West African populations.”

The dialogue marks a significant diplomatic development following the deterioration of relations between ECOWAS and the three Sahelian countries, whose military-led governments have pursued a political course centered on national sovereignty and a rejection of established Western influence.

Political tensions to dialogue

Relations between the two blocs deteriorated following military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023. ECOWAS imposed sanctions and threatened further measures in response to the military takeovers, while the governments of the three countries increasingly challenged the regional organization’s authority.

In January 2024, the three countries announced their intention to withdraw from ECOWAS, their withdrawal formally took effect on January 29, 2025, opening a new chapter in regional relations.

The AES had been established in September 2023, initially creating a mutual defense framework among Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The three countries subsequently deepened their cooperation, formally establishing the Confederation of Sahel States in July 2024.

Throughout the confrontation, the Sahelian governments maintained that their decisions reflected the right of their peoples to determine their own political and economic futures. ECOWAS sanctions, particularly those imposed on Niger following the July 2023 coup, generated considerable opposition within the country and wider debate over the consequences of regional punitive measures for ordinary people.

For many supporters of the AES, ECOWAS’s response to the coups reinforced the perception that the organization was protecting Western, particularly French, strategic interests rather than defending the sovereignty of West African peoples.

A framework for cooperation

According to the joint communiqué, the Dakar meeting followed earlier consultations held on May 22, 2025, in Bamako, Mali. The latest session allowed the parties to exchange views on areas of common interest and discuss how future negotiations could be structured.

Both sides expressed their willingness to pursue a cooperation framework that is “balanced, realistic and preserves the interests of their peoples.”

The communiqué further states that joint thematic working groups will undertake technical consultations towards developing a formal Cooperation Framework Agreement. Their findings will be submitted to the ministers for consideration before the next session.

The agreement to establish these working groups is an initial step towards institutionalizing dialogue between the two organizations. However, the communiqué does not specify a final agreement, a timetable for completing negotiations or detailed commitments in individual policy areas.

The discussions nevertheless provide an opening for the two blocs to address practical questions arising from their separation, including the maintenance of cross-border relations and the interests of communities whose economic and social lives extend across national boundaries.

Despite their institutional differences, the populations of the two blocs remain connected through trade, migration, family ties and shared cultural histories. The three AES countries are landlocked, and their economic relationships with neighboring West African states remain important to regional commerce and livelihoods as it defends its sovereignty.

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During a meeting with India’s new Ambassador to Tehran, Vishwesh Negi, Hemmati highlighted Iran’s vast economic potential and called on New Delhi to fulfill its commitments regarding humanitarian trade interactions, ensuring that essential exchanges remain unhindered despite external pressures.

A key focus of the discussions was the strategic importance of the BRICS alliance.

Hemmati emphasized the necessity of developing shared financial and monetary mechanisms within the bloc to facilitate seamless economic barriers, and neutralize the impact of unilateral coercive measures.

“Given Iran’s significant economic capacities, bilateral cooperation can lay the groundwork for a sub-stantial elevation in our economic and trade relations,” Hemmati stated, underscoring the importance of leveraging multilateral platforms to secure sustainable financial channels.

Ambassador Negi, who officially assumed his post in early September 2026, reciprocated the sentiment. He underscored the necessity of elevating bilateral trade, strengthening international cooperation, and removing existing hurdles to ensure a mutually beneficial economic partnership between the two nations. (Presstv.co.uk)

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The colonization and commercialization of water in Africa bridges the history of infrastructure control with modern-day resource extraction by foreign corporations, financial institutions, and regional nation-states.

In his must-read 1972 book, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” Dr. Walter Rodney argued that European colonialism did nothing to modernize African infrastructure.

Instead, it designed public works—including water and sanitation— strictly to serve European administrative outpost, military garrisons, and White settler minorities. Colonialism left the vast majority of rural and urban African populations without basic utilities.

According to Dr. Rodney, this history of deliberate underdevelopment, colonial budgets prioritized railways, ports, and administrative machinery designed to extract raw materials and ship them to Europe. Social services, public health, clean water supplies, and sewage disposal for African communities were chronically underfunded or, in fact, ignored.

Ikechukwu Alamezie writes in his 2026 study called “Colonial Continuities of Reinseparable from the colonial history of extraction, which transformed both people and land into instruments of accumulation.”

Alamerzie, a faculty professor at Pan-African University in Lagos, Nigeria, explains that Africa’s malignancy continues not only because “resource exploitation persists, but that it is legitimized by inherited (Western) worldviews that defi ne nature as property and progress as accumulation.”

In his study, he also notes, “By viewing land and nature as resources of no intrinsic value, colonial powers justifi ed the conversion of ecosystems into commodities.”

The result of years of this colonial exploitation by the West is vast.

According to the Center for Strategic Studies (CSIS) January 2026 report, titled: “Securing Africa’s Water Needs: Generating Resilience through Infrastructure, Investment, Information & Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa,” unsafe water and insuffi cient sanitation anually claims over one million African deaths.

“The African Union estimates the countries of sub-Saharan Africa lose a crushing five percent of the GDP annually due to scarce or contaminated water supplies or poor sanitation,” the report notes.

CSIS argued that Africa’s water systems are in crisis. “From the Sahel to South Africa, 845 million people lack safely managed drinking water, and over 900 million do not have access to safely managed sanitation service(s),” its report notes. The center also notes that the “future of the region depends on solving its water resource challenges.”

Other studies on the challenges to Africa’s water systems and safety have come to similar conclusions.

continues to increase because of several factors, including “climate change, water pollution, deforestation, poor water management, limited water resources, and confl ict.” Other factors include decaying colonial-era water and sanitation systems and infrastructure that increasingly plague urban Africa.

Safe, accessible water sources are key to sustaining human well-being and socioeconomic development. A United Nations study ranked every Sub-Saharan African country as “water insecure to critically insecure.”

According to Greenpeace, nearly two-thirds of Africa is arid or semi-arid, despite the continent holding nearly 9% of global freshwater resources. This is largely because these resources are unevenly distributed: only six countries hold 54% of the continent’s supply, while 27 countries facing severe water poverty share only 7%.

“As a result, more than half of the population in Sub- Saharan Africa lack access to safe drinking water, and an estimated 160 million people across the continent live under water scarcity conditions,” Greenpeace noted.

The water emergency is largely cli-mate-induced. Although Africa contributes less than 4% of global carbon emissions, it faces some of the world’s harshest climate change impacts driven by historic and ongoing fossil fuel consumption in industrialized nations like the United States and European countries.

These climate-induced catastrophes, which highlight the lack of climateproofed water systems, with extreme rainfall as a key factor, pose a severe threat to water supply, “risking infrastructural damage, increasing pollution challenge to Africa’s water security is water pollution.

“Water systems become polluted in many ways, such as when plastics, industrial waste, or untreated sewage drain into water systems, fertilizers and pesticides are flushed into waterways during heavy rains, or due to fossil fuel extraction.”

Among the many examples is South Africa with its coal plants, which “heavily rely on water for many uses, including extraction, preparation, incineration, dust control, and disposal of by-products.”

CSIS mentions five key intersecting factors driving the mounting challenges to water security in Sub-Saharan Africa. They include growing populations, rising water demands, shifting water availability, increasing water-related disasters, and worsening pollution.

To overcome its water crises, CSIS offers three key capacities that must be strengthened.

1) Absorptive: This includes preventive measures to mitigate and withstand stress on water systems, such as sudden floods and droughts.

2) Adaptive: Creating diverse capabilities for evolving demands and long-term threats like climate change and pollution.

3) Enabling: Facilitate decisionmaking processes capable of understanding and addressing risks through collective deliberation and engagement.

Follow Jehron Muhammad @Africawatchfcn on X

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Even if Republicans retain a majority in both houses, it is possible that some Republicans may express more independence and vote against him since they can no longer be primaried and they recognize the war quagmire the U.S. is getting itself into, along with rising prices across the board for the average American.

Democrats, with any victory, most definitely will throw up obstacles to the Trump agenda, particularly against the war, but not necessarily in the legislative body’s support of Israel, which many observers say is the reason Mr. Trump attacked Iran.

A Pew Research poll conducted Sept. 28-Oct. 4 among 5,062 adults and reported on Oct. 8 showed 65% disapproval of the Iran war. Pollster Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin Iran War Poll Tracker reported on Oct. 30 a 57% disapproval rating.

Muhammad Sankara of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network noted the awakening of the American public to speak out more against the atrocities committed by Israel and how U.S. legislators lag behind.

“There is a potential political opening in the U.S. now that has not existed in a generation or more,” he said regarding opposition against Israeli behavior. “People are recognizing there is real injustice taking place and we don’t want the U.S. to bear the brunt of the moral, financial and ethical responsibilities. But, again, the interest of [Democrats in Congress] is to save Israel.”

None of the options to end the war are favorable for Mr. Trump. Some argue the war could have ended in June when presidents of both warring countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

Mr. Trump can still make a deal, although he violated the agreement shortly thereafter with another attack on the Islamic Republic. As a result, Iran has hardened its resolve on adherence to its demands before any peace negotiations.

Those demands include a withdrawal of the U.S. Naval blockade and Iran maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz, which was open and had free passage prior to the war. Mr. Trump would probably perceive such a negotiation as a defeat.

Another option, which Mr. Trump appears to be prepared to activate, is a short but intense bombing campaign. U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf has increased significantly over the last month and U.S. citizens at embassies and in those countries have been advised to evacuate in light of a pending attack.

But absent ground troops along with the bombings, the president will not achieve the outcome he is looking for, according to analysts. And ground troops will result in casualties.

Such a campaign would also result in Iran unleashing an all-out attack on the vital energy and technology infrastructure as well as critical desalination plants in neighboring Gulf countries allied with a U.S. attack. Iran’s attacks would cripple the global economy for years and cause massive suffering in Gulf countries, observers note.

The attack most certainly would impact the conflict occurring in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, where Ansar Allah (Houthi) forces allied with Iran are fighting Yemeni forces that are backed by Saudi Arabia. Ansar Allah has attacked Saudi vessels in the strait and attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, further limiting oil exports to the world market.

A months-long Naval blockade by the U.S. on Iran is causing significant economic hardships, adding to the decades of suffering caused by previous sanctions. Continuing the economic pressure would prolong the conflict into what would look like a “forever war,” which the president campaigned against.

The president could couple economic pressure with limited bombings on critical areas. The question still to be answered is, will Iran unleash its “scorched earth” response to any attack by the U.S. or Israel, regardless of the scale of the attack? And will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu abide by President Trump’s wishes if he advises Israel not to engage Iran?

Mr. Netanyahu is fighting for his political life after losing his majority in the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) in recent elections and could lose his post. He is also facing criminal corruption charges, which could leave him vulnerable to imprisonment if he is no longer prime minister, according to analysts. The International Criminal Court has also issued a warrant for Mr. Netanyahu’s arrest on war crimes.

Under such pressure, he may feel forced to launch an attack. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, whose coalition came in second in the elections and who could become prime minister, told heads of the security forces to resist attempts by Mr. Netanyahu to use his post for political aims, according to the Times of Israel.

“Remember that you serve the state and the interests of Israel’s citizens alone. Stand firm against any attempt to pressure you. You have my full backing,” he said, according to the report.

The statement came against the backdrop of reports that an Israeli Defense Force chief had resisted a push by Mr. Netanyahu to strike Iran before the Oct. 27 election. Speculation has continued that Netanyahu still may order an attack on Iran, the paper reported.

U.S. military advisers must also consider the widely reported depletion of weapons stockpiles. Use of such weapons in another attack would further deplete those weapons and leave the U.S. military vulnerable if another conflict should emerge, perhaps with a more powerful military such as China or Russia.

Then again, with the midterms behind him, President Trump may continue to work his agenda regardless of opposition from either party and fight the consequences. He has proven the capacity to do that.

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The resolution was passed on Oct. 28 by 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions.

In an X post, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel hailed the resolution’s broad backing as a “victory for the heroic Cuban people,” who have not surrendered despite the “economic suffocation, threats and abuse by the U.S. government.”

He also commended international opposition to the inhumane embargo “even in the face of the crudest pressure and blackmail” from Washington to alter the outcome of the vote.

Similarly, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said that the U.S. was “once again isolated in its attempt to continue strangling the Cuban people.”

“Neither its most insane pretexts nor its pressures nor media circus will prevail over the force of facts and truth,” he added.

The United States has imposed a total trade embargo on Cuba since the early 1960s and the victory of the Cuban revolution.

The administration of U.S. President

Donald Trump has implemented a series of additional economic restrictions against the island nation, including an energy blockade, openly touting “regime change” there.

Recently, Trump threatened a U.S. military aggression against Cuba on the “way back from Iran.”

UN experts have repeatedly condemned the unilateral U.S. sanctions against Cuba, which have directly targeted the welfare and future of the people in Cuba, as a violation of international law.

The UN resolution, titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” was debated on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 before the vote.

On Oct. 27, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz delivered a speech critical of the Cuban government, prompting Parrilla to approach Waltz’s podium and call him a liar.

In anticipation of the vote, Waltz hosted a press conference urging other countries’ ambassadors to vote against the resolution.

Cuban officials censured the U.S. for threatening countries with tariffs, visa restrictions and other penalties if they voted to denounce the illegal embargo. (PressTV.co.uk)

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NAIROBI, Kenya—The number of people fleeing violence in Ethiopia into neighboring Kenya has risen to 36,000, the United Nations said Oct. 27, as fighting near the border town of Moyale continues to displace civilians, mostly women and children.

The Kenya Red Cross said the displaced people were sheltering in six camps and villages within host communities.

“More food supplies are reaching the camps and our volunteers are helping prepare and serve hot meals every day, alongside the health services and household items already being provided,” the Red Cross said in a statement.

The fighting on the Ethiopian side of the border stems from a territorial dispute between the Oromia and Somali regional administrations, aggravated by the killing of a 13-year-old girl in an area administered by the Somali regional administration.

The UN refugee agency said it was “on

manitarian partners “to support the national and local emergency response”.

Local leaders in Kenya’s Marsabit County expressed concern that the influx could overwhelm communities hosting thousands of those fleeing and appealed for support.

The violence has raised security concerns on the Kenyan side of the border, with police reporting three incidents involving stray bullets in Moyale last week.

Over the weekend, political leaders from Marsabit County warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis that could overwhelm host communities already struggling with food and water shortages worsened by climate change.

The local legislators told journalists they were concerned that the fighting could also spread to the Kenyan side as displaced and aggrieved people cross the border.

The Kenya National Human Rights Commission on Oct. 27 called for an urgent humanitarian response to protect those displaced and ease pressure on host communities. (AP)

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The men could face terrorism-related charges involving deadly devices and explosives under Cuba’s penal code, Col. Francisco Estrada Portales, an official with the Interior Ministry’s State Security department, told The Associated Press.

The offenses can carry the death penalty, but Estrada said prosecutors had not yet requested specific sentences. Cuba has not carried out an execution in decades.

A speedboat carrying 10 men of Cuban origin from the United States attempted to enter Cuban waters on Feb. 25 and opened fire on a Cuban coast guard vessel that tried to intercept it, authorities said.

Three of the attackers were killed in the confrontation, and a fourth later died of his injuries. The boat was about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) northeast of Cayo Falcones, off Cuba’s northern coast.

The captain of the Cuban coast guard vessel was wounded. Authorities also reported arresting a person on land who allegedly provided support to the group.

The incident came as tensions between Cuba and the United States intensified, with Washington imposing energy restrictions on the island as part of its campaign to force a change in government and not ruling out military action.

Cuba’s Interior Ministry previously displayed weapons and equipment seized from the group, including rifles, handguns, explosives, backpacks containing clothing, uniforms, boots, helmets, medical supplies, food, an electric generator, satellite communications equipment and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

“The weapons and explosives were all in good working condition and ready to be used to cause harm,” Estrada said.

Estrada said the suspects’ confessions and cooperation helped investigators determine that Amijail Sánchez, a Cuban who has lived in the United States since 2016, fired the first shots. Sánchez, who is in custody, was included on a list of alleged terrorists that Cuba submitted to the United Nations last year.

Another detained suspect, Leordan Cruz, also appears on Cuba’s terrorism list.

Cuban authorities showed AP video recordings of statements made by the suspects.

AP could not independently verify the contents of the recordings or the circumstances under which the statements were made.

In one recording, Cruz said the group intended to secure an area and encourage Cubans to overthrow the government.

Estrada said Cuban authorities had shared their findings with the United States but had received no response as of Oct. 19. (AP)

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Burkina Faso has begun reviewing its history, geography and civic education curricula. The government says the aim is to “decolonize” the country’s schools by removing colonial-era portrayals of African history and giving more space to national history, African resistance, cultural values, and local knowledge.

Speaking during a meeting with education officials in Ouagadougou, Secondary Education Minister Moumouni Zoungrana criticized the language used in school textbooks to describe European colonialists.

“Those who came to conquer Africa are called explorers, conquerors. Were they conquerors? They were spies…. They were invaders,” the minister said, according to APA News.

The minister said certain terms in the current materials serve to “infantilize” and “animalize” Africans in the teaching of their own history. “We have made a firm resolution to reread these curricula, to reread the content and to remove the words that are infantilizing and animaliz-ing us,” he said.

He added that the reform would go beyond removing offensive language. “We have made the same decision to add other chapters that promote our values and eliminate the chapters that are dragging us down,” he said.

Further, during the second phase of Burkina Faso’s National Days of Patriotic Commitment and Citizen Participation (JEPPC), where officials presented education reforms and responded to concerns raised by citizens.

It was emphasized that beyond the revision of historical narratives, the reforms seek to make education more responsive to Burkina Faso’s sociocultural and environmental realities.

Measures include strengthening civic and moral education, introducing English progressively from the second grade, expanding instruction in national languages, and promoting bilingual education and cultural activities in schools.

‘The logical continuation’ of decolonizing reforms

Souleymane Kimbié Armel, of the Comité international Mémorial Thomas Sankara, told BreakThrough News that the curriculum overhaul follows directly from the country’s wider political project. Armel said the reforms sought to decolonize the minds of younger generations, arguing that previous curricula glorified European colonialists while presenting African societies through degrading descriptions. He cited the expression “the flight of the Moogho Naaba,” referring to the Mossi king of Ouagadougou at the arrival of invading forces, as an example of terminology that requires critical examination.

“The change in the curriculum is the logical continuation of reforms aimed at decolonizing mindsets, beginning with the youngest members of society,” Armel said.

He also challenged what he described as the longstanding portrayal of Burkina Faso as an inherently poor country, arguing that such narratives obscure the country’s capacities and resources.

According to Armel, the educational system has historically failed to recognize the value of Burkina Faso’s cultural diversity, sometimes presenting ethnic differences as a source of division rather than a strength.

Instead, he said, the reforms aim to restore popular confidence and pride by helping students understand their own histories, cultures and collective capacities. “All these reforms aim to restore the people’s pride and confidence in their own abilities,” he said.

The emphasis on national history and indigenous knowledge is therefore intended not only to change what students learn but also to challenge inherited assumptions about African societies and their capacity for self-directed development.

Liberation struggles key to the new curriculum

Liberation struggles are at the center of the new curricula, Armel said. “African states and countries of the Global South have always fought for their emancipation. The history of these struggles must be known by present and future generations,” he said. It is in this spirit that the Haitian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, and Thomas Sankara’s revolution are being taught.”

“The objective is to sow the seeds of revolution among young students,” he said. He noted that the Ministry has developed teaching modules and curricula and distributed them to teachers. He added that the reforms are not limited to political education.

“Beyond teaching these revolutions, the transformation also involves technical and scientific education, with the aim of ensuring that young Burkinabè are both politically conscious and technically competent.”

Armel linked the reforms to economic sovereignty, drawing on the South African anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko. “As Steve Biko rightly said, what the master has conquered in the colonized is their mind. No development can take place without the decolonization of mindsets,” he said.

“This will help prevent the economy from being outward-oriented and dependent on external forces. It will also help stem the brain drain to Western countries.” “Teaching in national languages and incorporating indigenous knowledge will contribute to achieving political sovereignty,” he continued.

“In a context where the people must remain continuously mobilized, the education system should enable them to rely on their own capabilities to take charge of their country’s development.”

Challenges ahead

Armel acknowledged that implementing the reforms will be difficult. “Implementing these curricula also presents challenges, including the need to train teachers in the new concepts and ideas being introduced. This will enable teachers to understand and teach in the spirit of these changes,” he said.

“In addition, textbooks and teaching materials for both teachers and students must be developed to support the reforms and improve their effectiveness.” He also pointed to political opposition. “As with any reform, there is resistance from Francophiles who are ardent supporters of the French system.

These groups represent obstacles that must be taken seriously,” he said. “Ultimately, the state must provide teachers with training and greater motivation so that they can sustain the revolution within the school system.”

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The deal also grants the U.S. priority to purchase the company’s remaining output for 50 years and the right to buy its entire supply in a national emergency. Under the agreement, the U.S. government is acquiring a 35% stake in Betancourt’s firm, NABEP, through the purchase of shares in its Barbados-registered parent company.

The venture would be overseen by a seven-member board for an initial 15- year term, with a majority of its members required to be U.S. citizens. The agreement does not require any Venezuelan government representation on the board.

The controversial deal’s main private-sector partner is Venezuelan billionaire Alejandro Betancourt, whose business dealings have faced money-laundering investigations in several countries.

Although the White House has said the deal could bring Venezuela an “estimated $200 billion in royalties and tax payments,” the agreement does not guarantee those payments.

Marked as a sensitive government document, the agreement also contains a confidentiality clause restricting the company from disclosing its existence and terms.

The White House has defended the arrangement, saying it would help “stabilize Venezuela’s economy and deliver lasting benefits to both countries.”

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said, “This historic deal marks a major step toward stabilizing Venezuela’s economy after years of hyperinflation and almost no new investment, while more than doubling the United States’ oil reserves.”

Former U.S. diplomats and congressional staff cited by ProPublica said questions could intensify if Democrats gain control of one or both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, particularly over the choice of Betancourt and the deal’s terms.

The United States abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a large-scale military operation in early January and transferred them to the U S to face “crim inal charges.”

Trump subsequently said Washington would play a central role in running the country indefinitely until a formal transition of power can take place. He also said that U.S. oil companies would enter the country to revive its oil industry.

“We’re going to take back the oil that, frankly, we should have taken back a long time ago,” Trump said at the time, adding that the United States would recoup the costs of its operation from Venezuela’s oil wealth.

Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at more than 300 billion barrels Much of the oil lies in the Orinoco Oil Belt and consists of heavy, sulfur-rich crude that is more difficult and costly to extract and refine than lighter grades.

Tapping these reserves requires substantial investment and specialized technology, making Venezuela’s petroleum wealth both a major strategic asset and a costly undertaking.

Despite its vast reserves, Venezuela was producing only about 1.25 million barrels of oil per day under Maduro, well below its potential after years of underinvestment and U.S. sanctions.

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More than a dozen Indigenous representatives from Peru, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador participated in the Oct. 19-23 UN conference on transnational organized crime, known as COP13.

The leaders want governments to tackle the financial networks behind environmental crimes while giving Indigenous peoples a greater role in protecting their ancestral territories and shaping a proposed international agreement.

Criminal networks threaten Indigenous territories

Galois Flores, a representative of Peru’s Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampis Nation, told The Associated Press that illegal gold mining, logging and drug trafficking are putting growing pressure on Indigenous communities.

“Deforestation and pollution in the Amazon are no longer just environmental problems, but a crisis of transnational organized crime and security,” Flores said.

Mercury from gold mining is contaminating rivers used for fishing and drinking water, Flores said, while criminal networks have access to weapons, money and the ability to intimidate communities.

In response, the Wampis have established two monitoring posts, each staffed by 14 Indigenous guards, to confront illegal mining. But those resisting criminal groups face threats and violence, Flores said.

Similar dangers confront the Kakataibo people in Peru’s central Amazon, where drug traffickers have established illegal coca plantations and processing laboratories in ancestral forests, according to Indigenous leaders.

Marcelo Odicio, president of the Federation of Native Kakataibo Communities, said six Kakataibo leaders have been killed since 2020, while community representatives routinely face threats.

Across the border in Brazil, Francisco Piyako Apiwtxa, an Ashaninka leader, described threats from illegal logging, drug trafficking and roads used to transport illicit goods.

In July, he said, at least five heavily armed, masked men entered an Ashaninka community, threatening families and searching for Indigenous leaders. Piyako said inadequate government protection has left Indigenous communities confronting criminal groups themselves.

“Our territories, our homes, our waters, the future of our children are at stake,” he said.

In Colombia’s southern Putumayo region, Indigenous leader Ingry Mojanajinsoy said armed groups that previously relied on drug trafficking for money are increasingly turning to illegal mining. Even when mining takes place outside Indigenous territories, she said, pollution travels downstream, contaminating rivers and fish that communities depend on for food.

At least 105 land and environmental defenders were killed in Latin America in 2025, accounting for 85% of the 124 killings documented worldwide, according to environmental and human rights group Global Witness. Colombia recorded 39 killings, followed by Brazil with 26.

Push for an international environmental crime agreement

The Vienna conference brings together countries working under a UN treaty to combat transnational organized crime. Governments are expected to consider launching negotiations on a new protocol addressing environmental crimes, including illegal mining, logging and wildlife trafficking.

Raphael Hoetmer, Western Amazon Program Director at Amazon Watch, said organized crime and illicit economies have become major threats to the Amazon, Indigenous peoples and the global climate.

He criticized governments’ reliance on military operations and raids, arguing they fail to address underlying causes and can leave Indigenous communities caught in the violence.

Instead, delegates want stronger Indigenous land rights, support for community-led territorial protection and a greater voice in international negotiations.

“The conference should not only agree to begin negotiating a protocol against crimes that affect the environment, but also ensure that Indigenous peoples are seriously consulted in the process,” Hoetmer said.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said it works with Indigenous communities across Latin America to combat organized crime and environmental threats, pointing to a project in Brazil that helps communities monitor ille gal gold mining and work more closely with authorities.

The project has also helped lay the groundwork for a national system to detect and respond to environmental crimes, said UNODC spokesperson Alejandra Silva. The agency did not say whether Indigenous representatives would have a formal role in negotiating the proposed protocol.

Flores called for environmental crimes to be treated as seriously as drug and arms trafficking, including tracing illicit financial flows and disrupting markets for illegally mined gold. Odicio urged governments to recognize Indigenous territorial guards and protect threatened leaders.

Flores said isolated police operations are insufficient because illegal operators often return once security forces withdraw. Soldiers made a similar observation to AP during an illegal mining raid in Peru in August, saying miners would wait for troops to leave before restarting work.

“We do not want to leave future generations rivers poisoned with mercury, destroyed forests and communities controlled by criminal violence,” Flores said. (AP)

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