UNODC leads Operation Kafo VI in Africa

• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supported the implementation of Operation KAFO VI across six Sahel and West African countries between October and December 2025.

• The Operation took place in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo, and led to the seizure and collection of more than 1,100 firearms, over 80,000 rounds of ammunition and more than 22,000 dynamite sticks. 

• The Operation involved police, gendarmerie, customs, anti-trafficking airport cells, maritime authorities and border and prosecution units.

• Authorities also seized significant quantities of illicit drugs — worth over $20 million — including heroin, cocaine, cannabis and millions of tramadol tablets, highlighting the interconnected nature of firearms trafficking and other serious crimes. 

• More than 114,200 physical verifications were conducted during the operation, along with over 15,500 searches in Interpol databases, including iARMS (the organisation’s Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System for seized, lost and stolen firearms).

• It was aimed at strengthening a coordinated regional response to the illicit trafficking of firearms and explosives, as well as related crimes, including terrorism, and introducing a new, training-centred approach designed for long-term impact in a complex security environment.

• As a result of these initiatives, a significant number of individuals were arrested for firearms and terrorism offences, as well as other related crimes, including drug trafficking. 

• The first edition of KAFO was jointly coordinated by UNODC and the Interpol Firearms Programme in November 2019.

What is UNODC?

• The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was established in 1997.

• It was a result of the merging of the United Nations Centre for International Crime Prevention and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme, in order to focus and enhance its capacity to address the inter-related issues of drug control, crime and international terrorism in all its forms.

• UNODC is the guardian of most of the conventions related to these issues, including the international drug control conventions which resulted from UN drug conferences.

• UNODC has its headquarters in Vienna, Austria. 

• It has a network of field offices across the globe, covering some 150 countries.

• It provides normative and technical support along with reliable data and analysis to inform policymaking and programmatic responses. 

• UNODC’s mandate areas encompass preventing and countering transnational organised crime, corruption and terrorism, addressing the world drug problem, and enhancing and strengthening criminal justice systems. 

• Its technical assistance includes training and equipping judges, police officers and border officials to enhance law enforcement and judicial capacities. 

• By providing legislative and policy assistance, the UNODC assists Member States in reducing impunity and aligning policies and legislation with international standards.

• UNODC research provides high-quality, essential evidence to inform decision-making and operational responses to multifaceted challenges in the fields of drugs and crime.

• UNODC works to make the world safer from drugs, crime, terrorism and corruption.