The United States Africa Command has raised the alarm over a sharp increase in illegal narcotics trafficking across Africa, saying the volume of illicit drug movement on the continent has grown more than sixfold in the past two years.
AFRICOM’s Director of Logistics, Brig Gen Paul Filcek, disclosed this on Wednesday during a virtual media briefing from the 2026 Africa Logistics and Communications Symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Filcek said the surge in drug trafficking, alongside other transnational crimes, underscored the need for stronger cooperation among African countries and their international partners.
He said, “Across the African continent we face growing and converging threats on our mutual security, safety, and prosperity, including human trafficking and a dramatic rise in illegal narcotics trafficking, now more than six times what it was just two years ago.”
According to him, combating the growing threats requires effective coordination, reliable communications and improved logistics capabilities to enable the rapid movement of personnel, equipment and supplies across vast and often difficult terrain.
