SECURITY COUNCILSHMUN V

Topics:

1. Peace and Security in Central Africa2. Drug Cartels and Their Constant Threat to International Security

Presidents

Maria Paula OsorioEsteban Mejia

INDEX

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1. Welcoming Letter IV

2. About the Committee V

3. Topic A: Peace and Security in Central Africa VI

3.1 Situation at the Central African Republic VI

3.1.1 Background VI

3.1.2 Current Situation VII

3.1.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible Solutions IX

3.2 Situation at the Democratic Republic of the Congo X

3.2.1 Background X

3.2.2 Current Situation XI

3.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible Solutions XIII

4. TOPIC B: Drug Cartels and Their Constant Threat to International Security XIII

4.1 Background XIV

4.2 Current situation XIV

4.2.1 Countries of Operation XIV

4.2.2 Threats to International Security XXI

4.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible Solutions XXII

5. QARMAS XXIII

5.1 Topic A XXIII

5.2 Topic B XXIII

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6. Delegations XXIV

7. Useful Links XXIV

7.1 Topic A XXV

7.2 Topic B XXV

8. Bibliography XXV

1. Welcoming LetterDear Delegates:

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“Be the change you want to see in the world”.-Mahatma Gandhi.

On behalf of the chair, we welcome you to the United Nations Security Council.It’s an honor for us, Maria Paula Osorio and Esteban Mejía, to be your presidents at the fifth version of SHMUN. Gandhi's ideas make us think about a world in which humans are capable of living with each other despite differences. They make us think about diplomacy, that word that describes what UN models have meant for us, and what they could mean to you. If you work with passion, discipline, courage and reasonable thoughts, you are not only contributing to this committee, but also to society in general, and eventually, you’re going to be the protagonist of bigger changes.

In this occasion, we are going to be dealing with two challenging topics that the international community is facing at the moment, that would require the best preparation, motivation, research and participation from your behalf. First, we have the region of Central Africa, which  is one of the most complicated political hotspots of the globe, and needs to ensure stability, peace and security, and then, we have the constant threat of Drug Cartels to international security, a topic that we think is very important for this Council to find real and effective solutions that go beyond a resolution or a statement in a piece of paper.

We look forward in making this an unforgettable experience and we expect  for you to put all of your efforts in the representation of your country as delegates.

Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any question or inquiry about the committee.Sincerely,

Maria Paula OsorioEsteban Mejía  

2. About the Committee

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The Security Council is one of the United Nations six main organs, established in the United Nations Charter along with the General Assembly, the Secretariat, the Trusteeship Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the International Court of Justice. It had its first session in London in 1946, and then it took office in New York City, where it operates nowadays.

The main functions of the Security Council are:

● To maintain International Peace and Security;

● To develop friendly relations among nations;

● To cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;

● and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.

“All members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council. While other organs of the United Nations make recommendations to member states, only the Security Council has the power to make decisions that member states are then obligated to implement under the Charter”.

In order to maintain peace and security, the Security Council has the power to perform several actions that other committees cannot and that would be very important for you to take them into account at the time you are debating, finding solutions and drafting final resolutions.

When a complaint concerning a threat to peace is brought before it, the Council’s first action is usually to recommend that the parties try to reach agreement by peaceful means. The Council may:set forth principles for such an agreement;

● undertake investigation and mediation, in some cases;

● dispatch a mission;

● appoint special envoys; or

● request the Secretary-General to use his good offices to achieve a pacific settlement of the dispute.

When a dispute leads to hostilities, the Council’s primary concern is to bring them to an end as soon as possible. In that case, the Council may:

● issue ceasefire directives that can help prevent an escalation of the conflict;

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● dispatch military observers or a peacekeeping force to help reduce tensions, separate opposing forces and establish a calm in which peaceful settlements may be sought.

When these actions have no effect on a conflict or situation, the council may act with:

● economic sanctions, arms embargoes, financial penalties and restrictions, and travel bans;

● severance of diplomatic relations;

● blockade;

● or even collective military action.

The Security Council has 15 members, five permanent and 10 non-permanent that are chosen for a 2 year term. The five permanent members are the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the French Republic and the People’s Republic of China. These 5 permanent members have something called the veto power, that allows them to block any resolution if they are against it. For example, if  14 members are on favour of a resolution and the USA is not, then the resolution will not pass.  

3. Topic A: Peace and Security in Central Africa

Central Africa is one of the most complicated regions of the world, in fact, it is a political hotspot where poor governance, armed conflicts, and transnational crime contribute to persistent insecurity and instability situations. It has always dealt with ethnic differences and problematics, corruption, poverty, rebel militias, coups, lawlessness and people abandonment by the state. We ought to focus on some of the most concerning situations regarding this disputed issue, one that requires effective and enduring solutions from the Security Council.

Some actions have been already taken, but it is crucial to address whether if they have been effective and the context in which they were implemented.

3.1 Situation at the Central African Republic3.1.1 BackgroundThe Central African Republic (CAR) is a country with plenty of difficulties, in fact, it is one of the most fragile and poor states in the world. The government has presence in determined parts of the country because it is not strong enough to address the situation. Poverty is a difficult and numerous issue in Africa, and it supports violence because people would rather join armed groups instead of suffering because of poverty.

Violence in the CAR has been present since the moment of its independence in 1960, however, the situation deteriorated after the creation of the rebel Muslim-majority Seleka

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movement in the early 2010’s. This group wanted to take power and eventually made it. Seleka fighters launched an offensive against the central african government in December 2012, seizing the capital city of Bangui and staging a coup  in March 2013, forcing President Francois Bozizé to leave.

In response to brutality carried out by Seleka forces, “anti-balaka”- Christian fighter movements- were formed to carry out reprisal violence against Seleka fighters, adding a religious element, a very common cause of conflict in Africa, which makes the crisis very complicated and strenuous when trying to solve it. This fight between the two groups eventually involved civilians, which are the most affected victims in this situation.

Figure 1: Influence control in the CAR by Séléka and Anti-balaka groups, even though they are supposedly gone, their influences on people are almost intact.Taken from: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/car.htm

3.1.2 Current Situation

Due to the situation, the UN introduced through Resolution 2149(2014) the amount of 12,000 peacekeepers (Blue Helmets) and a formal mission named MINUSCA (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic) with the help of the French Republic in an operation named Operation Sangaris, however, the french troops were retired in 2016 after alleged cases of abuse made by civilians.

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Figure 2: Taken from Agencie d’images de la defense

Even though the presence of the UN and France allowed the democratic choosing of president Francis Touadera in 2016 as well as an alleged ceasefire between Selekas and Anti-Balakas; the Selekas broke apart between themselves, creating new groups and causing the situation to deteriorate again. As a result, violence erupted again in 2017 and it has not stopped ever since, leaving more than 600,000 internally displaced people, and around 570,000 refugees.

The situation in the Central African Republic is worsening, and countries such as the United States of America, that have supported economic growth and stability in the region for years, are deeply concerned about this violence and the consequences that it could have on neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or South Sudan.

Another important standpoint is that, according to international media like The Washington Post, The New York Times, the BBC and Al-Jazeera, the Russian Federation has been trying to gain some influence in the CAR. Despite that it has provided some necessary help to the military forces of the country by training them, some believe that the Russians have other interests in the country. The SC made an exception to the arms embargo in late 2017 for Russia to provide light weapons and assistance to the CAR’s army, however, some are concerned that the russians have influenced interests and that this might be fueling the conflict. In mid-2018, three russian reporters were killed in the CAR after trying to investigate an alleged presence of russian mercenaries in the country and alleged Kremlin relations with the Wagner Group, a russian private militia (called paramilitary by some people) that is believed to be present in the CAR.

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Currently, the most important groups that cause instability are the “Lord’s Resistance Army”(LRA), the “Popular Front for the Renaissance” (FPRC), the “Union for Peace of the CAR”(UPC), the “Central African Patriotic Movement” (MPC) . All of these groups come from Séleka factions, and need to be demobilized as soon as possible in order to ensure peace in the country and in its borders and also to ensure security for the population.

In a report made by the Conflict Armament Research, it was written that the highest volume of weapons that flows into the CAR comes from european and chinese manufacturers, and that a lot of weapons enter the country through South Sudan despite the arms embargo sanctioned by the Security Council. This weapons, of course, are the main material elements that fuel the conflict constantly because they cause the strengthening of militias and the crimes against civilians. The Security Council must implement measures that enforce the arms embargo in a proper way.3.1.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible Solutions

The most important UNSC resolution in this matter was resolution 2149 of 2014, because it established the United Nations stabilization mission at the region, MINUSCA, that is the one responsible for all the important advances towards the solution of this crisis ever since. This includes objectives like the establishment of governance, peacekeeping, stabilization and the strengthening of the authority.

By resolution 2399 of 2018, the Security Council reminded some actions stated in resolution 2339 of 2017,  these included:

● Arms Embargo for the CAR in order to prevent militias from getting more weapons.

● The designation of a panel of experts

● An Asset Freeze for some specific individuals and organizations at the CAR.

● A Travel Ban for designated individuals of the CAR

● A designation criteria, panel of experts and a sanction committee to supervise the situation and some specific individuals at the CAR

The sanctions are effective until January 2019, but they are expected to be renewed again.

This situation needs to be solved quickly with strategic ideas, since UN acts described in resolutions such as the 2339(2017) and 2399(2018) have worked in some way, but have not solved the real problem. The Resolutions are not always very efficient, since they take note, call upon, request, urge, and use other operative clauses that frequently mention solutions but do not have the proper liability to apply them in situations like this one, where the state only controls a small portion of the country, people are in serious need of humanitarian aid and lawlessness is all over the country.

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Figure 3: Purposes to take into account in maintaining peace and security in the CAR, and their cost.

3.2 Situation at the Democratic Republic of the Congo3.2.1 Background

As the CAR, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a very complicated country with lots of internal difficulties. It has a complex political history. Shortly after its independence in 1960, Mobutu Sese-Seko overthrew the government of Patrice Lumumba, and remained in power through a dictatorship for 32 years, until 1997.

In 1994, the Rwandan Genocide occurred, where ethnic Hutus killed around 800,000 Tutsis, leading to a vast refugee flow into the DRC, causing more political instability and therefore a crisis inside Mobutu’s government.  Between 1996 and 1997, a rebellion backed

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by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent Kabila, started seizing control of the country until it overthrew Mobutu’s government in May 1997. This period was called the First Congo War. The Second Congo War happened in 1998, and it lasted until 2003. During this period, countries such as Zimbabwe, Sudan, Mali, Libya and Namibia supported Kabila’s government, while other ones such as Rwanda and Uganda fought against it, which is ironic since they supported him one year before that. Around 4 million people died, leaving the country with open scars that would not be healed.

Kabila was killed in 2001, and this caused a very complicated crisis because Kabila was trying to establish a democratic constitution. His son, Joseph, inherited power and managed to sign the Pretoria Agreements in 2002, after a very violent struggle in that year. The agreements made peace with other countries, however, the situation within the country did not improve. In 2003, Joseph Kabila established a transitional government, and managed to take the country into democracy in 2006, when he was elected. However, the Second Congo War left more than 5 million dead people, around 3.5 million refugees, and an unstable situation within the state that shapes the perfect climate for rebel and militant groups to continue their brutal operations nowadays.

After his reelection in 2011, Kabila was supposed to leave power in 2016 according to the constitution, however, he started to create mediocre excuses to stay in power, causing numerous protests at the capital, Kinshasa, and in other parts of the country. The protests caused a national crisis, the uprising of political and social tensions and the uproar of the militant groups, that used this as a pretext to continue with their “spreading of ideas”, which is completely fake since they are opportunists that do not worry about people. The elections are expected to occur in December 2018, and it is very important that, since this session is taking place in February, you must be informed about the elections and if they are successful or not, since there has never been a peaceful transition of power in the DRC and their result is going to have an important impact during the discussion of possible solutions. 3.2.2 Current Situation

At least 70 armed groups are believed to be operating at the DRC. The most powerful groups, the “Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda” (FDLR) and the “Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces” (ADF), continue to terrorize communities and control weakly governed areas of the country, financing their activities by exploiting the country’s rich natural resources.

Political instability was also fueled by President Joseph Kabila, by postponing the 2016 election to apparently stay in power. This led to very violent protests in which numerous civilians resulted dead or injured in hands of government forces, Amnesty International said. This aggressive climate had as a result the creation or strengthening of rebel groups that fueled instability through committing violence and reprochable acts against civilians.

There are nearly 20,000 United Nations Peacekeepers in the country that have helped in stabilizing the situation, however, it is thought for a country that has the size of Western Europe, because sometimes that is not enough to maintain an efficient peacekeeping operation.

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There are two main hotspots in the conflict: The region of the Kasai, and the eastern regions of North and South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika. This is not a coincidence since these eastern regions share borders with Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, being Uganda the main operative country of one of the most dangerous militant groups in Africa, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan opportunistic movement that also operates in these eastern regions of the DRC and even at the CAR.

It is important to highlight that one of the most important purposes of this committee and of this topic,  Peace and Security in Central Africa, is to take significant action regarding groups like the LRA, the Kwamina Nsapu Movement, responsible for recruiting children to fight in their lines, and for many acts of violence committed at the Kasai regions which target the government and other institutions like the UN; alleged factions of Boko Haram, the March 23 (M23)  Movement and other militant groups that have been previously mentioned during this document that are responsible of murdering, destroying villages, raping, kidnapping, and other crimes against humanity.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo plays a very important role in Central African stability because of its location, and a situation like this one affects neighboring countries such as Burundi, Uganda, Congo and the Central African Republic. The accumulation of instability around the region creates the perfect environment for criminal rebel groups and insurgent militias, which is why it is so important to implement strong and efficient solutions.

Figure 4 & 5: DRC: IDPs and Returnees (OCHA, January 2018) Number of refugees in the region Democratic Republic of the Congo Situation (UNHCR, August 2018)

We see that the DRC has around 4.49 million of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) so far, and an alarming number of more than 811,000 refugees and asylum seekers only in 2018.

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If the situation keeps to extend to other countries, other countries might intervene directly or indirectly. Countries such as Rwanda and Uganda have long standing ties with the United States of America, and if they find themselves in need of help because of this growing  and difficult situation, countries such as the USA might take more important action in the region.3.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible SolutionsThe Security Council has created resolutions and has established missions at the DRC like MONUSCO, with the purpose of reestablishing democratic elections and stabilizing the political situation of the country in December 2018, since factors like peace, security, government presence and law enforcement highly depend on the country’s political situation.

The first UN mission at the DRC was established in 1999 by resolution 1279, however, the most important resolutions for you to review are the following:

a. Resolution 1925 of 2010 renamed the UN mission in the DRC into MONUSCO, UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC, that currently continues its operation at the DRC, being valid until March 31st, 2019.b. Resolution 2076 of 2012: Exposes actions regarding militant movements such as the M23c. Resolution 2360 of 2017: Renews and explains the DRC sanctions committee, and the mandate of the Group of Experts, a special group to remain acknowledged of the situation.

On October, 2018, the Security Council made a visit to the DRC. Even though it recognized some important advances and also the possible peaceful transition of power; the democratic and political stability of the country as threats to peace remain as concerns. The most important work of the Security Council needs to be focused on reducing reliance on foreign aid through dialogue and to develop longstanding solutions.

Important Information

For possible crisis, the chair recommends to you to review the situation regarding Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, a gulf located between Central and West Africa. The Gulf is a place were insurgent and criminal groups kidnap, kill and steal important natural resources such as oil. Up to the first quarter of 2018, maritime criminal incidents at the Gulf of Guinea represented more than 40% of the incidents globally. 113 seafarers were captured in this region, and the total global number was 114, meaning that all but one were captured in this area. Organisms such as the Security Council have not taken important action recently, however, the international community and the countries that have a coastline in this area, including Cameroon, Nigeria and the DRC, are in need of it. Despite general efforts of the international community about 10 years ago, the tension is climbing again.

4. TOPIC B: Drug Cartels and Their Constant Threat to International Security

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A few decades ago the world declared war on drugs. Today, after years of failed work to adequately control drug consumption, the problem has not been seized. Instead, a problem of greater consequence has emerged: drug cartels have succeeded in violently taking over the industry and posing a major threat to international security exclusively for earning excessive illicit income and controlling the market. Governments have instituted dozens of programs to dismantle the illicit drug industry, but they have seen only marginal success, causing a greater risk to innocent people that have found themselves in the midst of the conflict.

Drug cartels are one of the biggest worldwide problems as it has an influence on the economy, the politics and the social field. Cartels are a part of the economy and they tend to establish a high degree of price stability but the constant threat of conflicts of interest among its members may lead to violent price fluctuation. They are also key participants in society, recruiting children and even taking over entire towns to place their illegal operations and fight their competitors, risking people to be caught in a crossfire, forcing them to work for those organizations and threatening their families.

It is the objective of the international community to reach agreements and solutions for the eradication of organised crime, but moreover to address possible strategies to counterattack the violence that this war is causing such as war amongst cartels and the repercussions it is having on society.4.1 Background

For decades, Colombia was known as home to some of the most powerful and prejudicial drug cartels in the world. Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was said to supply 80 percent of the cocaine within U.S. borders, and there was also the Cali Cartel. Eventually, authorities managed to block the influx of drugs through the Caribbean by dismantling Colombian cartels. After a nearly peaceful period in the territory, the most renowned drug cartels were now situated in Mexico, a key territory to make production and distribution more effective and straightforward into the United States of America.

The Guadalajara Cartel and the Gulf Cartel were the leaders of Mexican cartels. The Cartel later divided into smaller organizations, one of which was the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel rapidly rose to military dominance. On the other hand the disintegration of the Gulf Cartel to Los Zetas weakened it, allowing the Sinaloa Cartel to dominate the Mexican cartel landscape.

The opium production and trafficking also takes place into this discussion. The primary producer of opiates, Afghanistan, is the first step of its trafficking. After being exported to Central Asia, it goes to Russia and then flows into european market. Opiates are the most severe problem regarding drugs, notably in Asia and Europe. The global illicit opiate and cocaine markets represent two of the biggest transnational drugs and crime threats of our time. Tens of thousands of the millions of opiate users worldwide die every year. 4.2 Current situation4.2.1 Countries of Operation

Mexican Drug War

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Mexico remains a major transit country for cocaine and heroin and a source for heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine destined for the United States. Narcotics trafficking and related violence in Mexico continues to pose significant problems to citizen security and economic development.

Since Mexican government started a war against organized crime, more than 200,000 people have been killed or have disappeared. The war and the seizing of some groups has led to the creation of new ones or a subdivision of the latter ones.  According to the most recently available statistics, published by Mexico’s statistics agency (INEGI) in September 2015, reported homicides decreased by nearly 15 percent and kidnappings decreased by 22 percent from 2013 to 2014. However, an estimated 93 percent of all crimes went either unreported or uninvestigated in 2014.

The Sinaloa Cartel

Since the breakup of the Guadalajara Cartel into several, smaller organizations, the Sinaloa cartel emerged. Founded in the late 1980s, it has long been considered as Mexico's most powerful criminal organization, headed by Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Having outfought several rival groups, the Sinaloa cartel dominates much of north-west Mexico and makes billions of dollars from trafficking illicit narcotics to the United States, Europe and Asia.

However, the cartel's future is uncertain after Guzmán was recaptured in 2016 following two daring prison breaks. He was extradited to the US in January 2017. The cartel is being divided into two sides. On one side were Guzmán’s sons, Iván Archivaldo and Jesús Alfredo. On the other side, his former associate Dámaso López Núñez, alias "El Licenciado", and his son Dámaso López Serrano. Guzmán's sons are believed to have assumed control of the cartel. His older brother Aureliano is another influential figure vying for control, while Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, alias "Chapo Isidro", has emerged as one of the cartel's powerful local adversaries.

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Mexican drug cartels main areas of influence by 2017, BBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40480405

The Jalisco New Generation

The Jalisco New Generation cartel is Sinaloa's strongest competitor and its former armed wing. The CJNG emerged after former Sinaloa Cartel capo Ignacio Coronel, alias “Nacho,” was killed by Mexican security forces in July 2010. The Jalisco cartel has expanded rapidly and aggressively across Mexico and is now challenging Sinaloa for control of strategic areas, including Tijuana and the port of Manzanillo.

The group has been associated with the use of extreme violence. In the period following the emergence of the cartel, homicides spiked in Jalisco.

The weakening of the Sinaloa Cartel allowed the Jalisco New Generation to become the most notorious Mexican cartel. However, in response to the group’s growing strength, in May 2015 the Mexican government initiated “Operation Jalisco,” aimed at restoring security to Jalisco and dismantling the cartel. Since late 2017, the CJNG has begun to display signs of internal divisions, suggesting splinter groups could challenge the main cartel’s dominance in key areas.

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Los Zetas

The Zetas started out as an enforcer gang for the Gulf Cartel predominantly made up of former soldiers with specialized training. The group broke away from the Gulf Cartel in the 2000s to become its own group. The DEA described them as perhaps “the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and violent of these paramilitary enforcement groups.” The group employed a new model of organized crime, based on violently seizing and holding territory, using fear rather than corruption as a first resort. They tortured victims, killed invasors and took control of any territory through the militar-style.

After rising to the point where they could compete with the mighty Sinaloa Cartel, the Zetas are now a fragmented force and are increasingly dependent on local criminal revenues rather than the transnational flow of drugs for their income.

Source: UNODC, World Drug Report 2009, and UNODC calculations, informed by US ONDCP, Cocaine Consumption Estimates Methodology, September 2008 (internal paper).

Colombian Cartels

There have been numerous amounts of Colombian cartels that dominated the international drug trade. Cartels such as the Medellin Cartel, the Cali Cartel, the Norte del Valle Cartel and the North Coast Cartel, (all of them called after the territory on which they operated) all of which have been dismantled by authorities and no longer operate. But the prevalence of drug trafficking still remains, and the presence of BACRIMS (emerging criminal organizations) or neo paramilitary groups is still enduring the organized crime in Colombia.

Los UrabeñosThe Urabeños emerged from the ashes of Colombia’s paramilitary movement to become the dominant criminal force in Colombia, with a reach that spread across the country.

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However, under pressure from authorities, the hold that leadership has over local cells that form this national network is getting weaker, and the group stands on the precipice of splintering into independent factions.

The Urabeños are primarily dedicated to transnational drug trafficking. Members of the leadership group are themselves international traffickers that manage their own routes. However, the network as a whole is less a drug cartel and more a service provider to independent drug traffickers. The group controls territories and regulates or runs the coca base market, escorting shipments along international trafficking corridors, ensuring access to or protection for processing laboratories, and providing storage and dispatch services in coastal and border regions.

The Urabeños network model requires local cells to be financially self-sufficient. As a result, these groups have expanded into illegal mining, extortion and micro trafficking, and they run or take a cut of other criminal activities that take place in their territories.

La Oficina de Envigado

The Oficina de Envigado has evolved from a debt collection agency for Pablo Escobar to a mafia federation that regulates almost all criminal activity in Medellín, provides services to transnational drug traffickers and other mafia elites, and uses alliances with gangs to control territory.

Leading figures within the Oficina retain significant stakes in the drug trade, maintaining contacts with Mexican cartels and control over drug trafficking routes. However, the Oficina de Envigado as an organization is less a drug cartel and more a service provider to drug traffickers. The composite parts of the Oficina specialize in assassinations, kidnappings, and the collection of drug debts as well as running extensive money laundering networks.

Each of the different factions of the Oficina de Envigado is also financially self-sufficient and today they run wide-ranging microtrafficking and extortion networks as well as controlling or taking a cut from a broad range of criminal activities such as robberies, contraband, the sex trade and adulterated alcohol sales.

Los Rastrojos

The Rastrojos were born out of the powerful Norte del Valle drug cartel and rose to become one of the most powerful transnational criminal syndicates in Colombia, until their top leadership surrendered or was captured in 2012.

The Rastrojos are different from some of Colombia’s other criminal groups in that they do not necessarily try to control every part of the drug distribution chain, operating instead via strategic alliances. These alliances include working with rebel groups and former right-wing paramilitaries to move their product.

Afghanistan

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The Golden Crescent is a mountainous area of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan that has dominated the global opioid market. Its Opioid production  has increased tremendously since the 1980s, and Afghanistan has become one of the main competitor in the global markets of opium and heroin.

Opium production in Afghanistan has spiked to one of the highest levels registered since the UN began keeping track in 1994. By today, 90% of the world's heroin has come from Afghan grown opium, and the country has been accounted for almost two-thirds of the total area under illicit opium cultivation in 2015.

Afghan and Western officials now say that the current flow of afghan production is to process the opium domestically to leave the country as morphine or heroin, rather than exporting the opium syrup.

Opium-poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has been consistently high since the US invasion in 2001. In 2016, there was a 10% jump in the area under cultivation, making it one of the three highest years on record.

Source: UNODC World Drug Report 2010

The Taliban has made a lucrative business from taxing and providing security to producers and smugglers in the region for heroin, seizing major crops and processing sites. They have gotten involved in every stage of the drug business, and draw at least 60% of their income from drug trade, slowly shifting to become a drug cartel.

Insurgents are taking more direct roles and claiming spots higher up in the opium chain, according to interviews with dozens of Afghan and Western officials, as well as smugglers

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and members of the communities where they reside. The new Taliban leader, Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, is at the top of a pyramid of tribal Ishaqzai drug traffickers and has amassed an immense personal fortune. That drug money changed the entire shape of the Taliban: With it, Mullah Mansour bought off influential dissenters when he claimed the supreme leadership over the summer, according to senior Taliban commanders.

Not only the Taliban is continuing to portrait their insurgent actions, but also are trafficking illegal drugs and using that money to finance more insurgency and violence in their territories of operation.

The increase in processing means the Taliban have been able to take a greater share of the $60 billion that the global trade in the Afghan opium crop is estimated to be worth. Demand remains high in Europe and North America: Ninety percent of the heroin on the streets of Canada, and about 85 percent in Britain, can be traced to Afghanistan, the State Department says.

Documenting Drug Addiction in Kabul (2014), by Jordi Bernabeu Farrús via Flickr.

Other Countries

In Brazil, the favelas are known to be inhabited by a population of limited resources and crime. Bands like "Comando da Capital" have expanded to Paraguay with its business and have imposed terror to the society. "Comando Vermelho" and "Familia do Norte" are also becoming the largest distributors of drugs in the immediate region, making the country a point of local distribution, a key threat to illegal trade eradication. Argentina and Chile are

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now the preferred routes by brazilian cartels to expedite the laundering of assets, such as the "Comando Vermelho".During 2017, this band seized fifteen tons of cocaine estimated at more than 150 million dollars.

The "Mara Salvatrucha", a Central American cartel has continued to dominate the criminal business. The band has become a fearful cartel in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Furthermore, drug trafficking and cartels are not exclusive to people of the common. The nephews Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, are currently sentenced to 18 years for drug trafficking in the United States. Additionally, investigations are being carried out to members of the Venezuelan government such as Diosdado Cabello and vice president Tareck El Aissami. Presumably, these officials charge the cartels for the passage through their nations.

4.2.2 Threats to International Security

As concerning as the trafficking of illegal drugs may be, the greater issue is the threat these groups and their distribution pose. Violent drug cartels are impacting the society in the midst of their trades. They take over villas and towns to place their operations, threatening their populators and even killing them. amongst their illegal trades they also recur to other illegal activities such as kidnappings, white slave traffic and violence against innocent citizens.

Drug cartels have taken advantage of controlling a vast territory in order to maintain themselves in the market at whatever cost. As a result, public decapitations have become a particularly prominent tactic of ruthless drug cartels. 80,000 people have died in the war. Tens of thousands of people have gone missing since 2007.

Child migrant crisis is also caused by drug wars. After some drug traffickers were pushed out of Mexico, gangs and drug cartels stepped up their operations in Central American countries. These countries, with their weak systems, did not seem to have the capacity to deal with the influx of violence and crime. As a result, thousands of children fled their countries in a major humanitarian crisis. In the past couple of decades it has happened as well in Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, and Ecuador after successful anti-drug crackdowns. Some of these previous cartels moved south across the Ecuadorean border to set up new operation facilities and routes emerging from Ecuador’s coast. Venezuela, is now the departure point for half of the cocaine going to Europe by sea. This global proliferation of violence is one of the most prominent costs of the drug war.

Even if Mexico were to actually defeat drug cartels, this wouldn't reduce drug war violence on a global scale. Instead, drug production and trafficking, and the violence that comes with both, would likely shift elsewhere, because the drug trade is so lucrative that someone will always want to take it up, particularly in countries where the drug trade might be one of the only economic opportunities and governments will not be strong enough to suppress the drug trade.

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International initiatives to combat drug cartels have been successful at the moment, but this work is later seen inefficient as new drug cartels emerge, or the original ones change their operation sites and continue to cause violence in their regions.

The establishment of governance, peacekeeping, stabilization and the strengthening of the authority are some of the many objectives the United Nations Security Council has. In this order of ideas, it is the role of this committee to stabilize the violence drug trafficking poses, strengthen the authority of both producer and consumer countries in order to prevent violent acts conducted by drug mobs.

4.3 Previous Resolutions and Possible Solutions

Since the establishment of the War on Drugs, the United States and European countries have provided financial, logistical, tactical and military aid to the government of Colombia in order to implement plans to combat the illegal drug trade. The most notable of these programs has been the Plan Colombia which also intended to combat leftist organizations, such as the FARC guerrillas, who have controlled many coca-growing regions in Colombia over the past decades.

Crimjust, a joint initiative implemented by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, is funded by the European Union. It was established to counter organized crime and drug trafficking through international cooperation. In 2016, Central American and South American countries like Panama and Colombia became one of the first few countries to join Crimjust in order to enhance their own national capacities to counter drug and illicit trafficking. The 2016-2020 program is expected to specifically strengthen investigations and criminal justice cooperation along the cocaine route in Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa. Through Crimjust, the international efficacy in combating drug cartels in Latin America has been amplified.

By resolution 2195 (2014), the Security Council stressed the need to work collectively to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including terrorism benefitting from transnational organized crime as is the case of Afghanistan and the Taliban using drug trade to fund their operations, or the case in Colombia with outlaw and criminal groups that lucrate from drug money and consistently continue to spread crime as a support for illegal drug trade.

On 25 April 2012, the Secretary- General stressed that insufficiently protected borders enabled the trafficking of drugs, weapons, contraband, terrorist funding, materials related to weapons of mass destruction, conflict minerals, wildlife and people. Since such illicit flows undermined national sovereignty, destroyed communities and lives, fuelled terrorism, and threatened peace and security, they were rightly the focus of the Council’s close attention. He added that countering those illicit flows required strengthening border security, regional cooperation, ratification and implementation of legal instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and capacity building support to Member States to overcome conditions that allowed such criminal activity to flourish.

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5. QARMAS5.1 Topic A

Has your delegation been concerned about the situation regarding violence caused by drug cartels?

What solutions has your delegation taken to eradicate drug trafficking and drug cartels?

Does your delegation have drug cartels?

Is your delegation a drug producer/exporter/consumer?

Has your delegation been affected by transnational organized crime? How?

Has your delegation had in the past transnational organized crime? Has your delegation solved it? How?

What could be long-term solutions to stop transnational organized crime?

5.2 Topic B

Has your delegation been concerned about the situation of the CAR and the situation of the DRC?

What changes would your country be willing to do in current resolutions and peacekeeping missions in order to reach a stable situation of Peace and Security in this region?

What factions does your delegation find important at the time of debating the topic?

What ideas or actions can your delegation provide in order to promote dialogue or demobilization of rebel armed militias?

How can the rights of civilians be ensured either by the Blue Helmets and by the governments in such a hard political and social situation?

What could be long-term solutions that would assure peace and security in Central Africa?

What ideas would be useful to deal with violent or unstable governments?

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6. Delegations

United States of America

Russian Federation

French Republic

People’s Republic of China

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Republic of India

Islamic Republic of Iran

Syrian Arab Republic

Federal Republic of Germany

Federative Republic of Brazil

Republic of Colombia

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Republic of Korea

Republic of South Africa

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Central African Republic

7. Useful Links7.1 Topic A

Useful links for the CAR:● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glqvxK55mgc&t=2s ● https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/violence-in-the-

central-african-republic● http://www.conflictarm.com/car_publications/

NONSTATE_ARMED_GROUPS_IN_CENTRAL_AFRICAN_REPUBLIC.pdf

Useful links for the DRC:

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● https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/violence-in-the- democratic-republic-of-congo

● https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/ files/documents/files/drc_factsheet_trim4_2017_en_07022018.pdf

Gulf of Guinea: ● https://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php/1244-pirate-attacks-worsen-in-gulf-of-guinea

7.2 Topic B

http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/international-drug-warhttps://worldview.stratfor.com/article/evolution-mexicos-cartelshttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40480405https://www.insightcrime.org/investigations/invisibles-colombias-new-generation-drug-traffickers /

8. BibliographyUn.org. (2018). About the United Nations Security Council. [online] Available at: http://www.un.org/en/sc/about/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Higgins, A. and Nechepurenko, I. (2018). In Africa, Mystery Murders Put Spotlight on Kremlin’s Reach. [online] The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/world/europe/central-african-republic-russia-murder-journalists-africa-mystery-murders-put-spotlight-on-kremlins-reach.html [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

SC Resolution 2339 (2017) Retrieved from URL: https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7b65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7d/s_res_2339.pdf

SC Resolution 2399 (2018) Retrieved from URL:https://undocs.org/en/S/RES/2399(2018)

SC Resolution 2149(2014):http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2149%20%282014%29

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SC Resolution 2360 (2017): http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2360%282017%29

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Global Conflict Tracker. (2018). Violence in the Central African Republic. [online] Available at: https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/violence-in-the-central-african-republic [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].  

Global Conflict Tracker. (2018). Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [online] Available at: https://www.cfr.org/interactives/global-conflict-tracker#!/conflict/violence-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].  

BBC News. (2018). Why is Russia cosying up to the CAR?. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-africa-44293080/russia-and-the-central-african-republic-a-curious-relationship [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Conflict Armament Research. (2015). NON-STATE ARMED GROUPS IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. [online] Available at: http://www.conflictarm.com/car_publications/NONSTATE_ARMED_GROUPS_IN_CENTRAL_AFRICAN_REPUBLIC.pdf [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Amnesty International. (2018). Central African Republic 2017/2018. [online] Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/africa/central-african-republic/report-central-african-republic/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/drc_factsheet_trim4_2017_en_07022018.pdf

Vinograd, C. (2018). There’s a new battle for influence in Central Africa, and Russia appears to be winning. [online] The Washington Post. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/05/31/theres-a-new-battle-for-influence-in-central-africa-and-russia-appears-to-be-winning/?utm_term=.c2b7ae96c817 [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. (2018). Democratic Republic of the Congo situation: AT A GLANCE REGIONAL UPDATE AUGUST 2018. [online] Available at: https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/download/66045 [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].

Gratius, S. (2012). EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA: COMBATING DRUGS AND DRUG TRAFFICKING. Belgium: Policy Department, Directorate-General for External Policies.

Drug Policy Alliance. (2018). The International Drug War. [online] Available at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/issues/international-drug-war [Accessed 22 Oct. 2018].

Tucker, D. (2018). Mexico's most-wanted: A guide to the drug cartels. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40480405 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2018]

Bhatia, N. (2017). Opioids in the Golden Crescent: Production, Trafficking, and Cooperative Counternarcotics Initiatives. [online] NATO Association of Canada. Available at: http://natoassociation.ca/opioids-in-the-golden-crescent-production-trafficking-and-cooperative-counternarcotics-initiatives/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018].

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Stratfor. (2018). The Evolution of Mexico's Cartels. [online] Available at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/evolution-mexicos-cartels [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018].

UNODC, World Drug Report 2010 (United Nations Publication, Sales No. E.10.XI.13).

Fernandez, L. (2018). Drug trafficking: The growing Latin American business. [online] Latin American Post. Available at: https://latinamericanpost.com/20104-drug-trafficking--the-growing-latin-american-business [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018].

McDermott, J. (2018). The 'Invisibles': Colombia's New Generation of Drug Traffickers. [online] InSight Crime. Available at: https://www.insightcrime.org/investigations/invisibles-colombias-new-generation-drug-traffickers/ [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018]

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