Lake Tanganyika: tackling organised crime in inland waterways

Illicit economies in the Lake Tanganyika basin are fuelled by poor regional coordination against transnational organised crime.

Date: 2025-11-28

Time: 09:00 to 10:30

Venue: Online via Zoom

Lake Tanganyika is an inland transport route enabling trade and economic integration between Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is also used to smuggle illegal wildlife, counterfeit goods, drugs, timber, exotic birds, minerals and arms. Coordinated laws and policies among its shoreline countries are lacking, and their capacity to combat these transnational organised crimes is weak.

Speakers at this webinar will discuss recent research findings on the crimes, actors, markets and their impacts on the livelihoods of communities in the Lake Tanganyika basin.

Moderator: Dr Carina Bruwer, Wildlife in Trade Unit Manager, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Cape Town, South Africa

Opening remarks: EU representative (TBC)

Panelists:

• Dr Willis Okumu, Senior Researcher, ENACT, ISS Nairobi
• Prof Justin Sheria, Catholic University of Bukavu, DRC