Africa : Worse than a blood crime, right ?

Livestock theft, an endemic scourge in savannah areas, reached unprecedented levels in 2026, transforming the border region between Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Ghana into a veritable lawless zone for herders.

The figures are alarming: by the end of 2024, official reports already indicated that 70% of the livestock once present in the southwestern regions of Burkina Faso had simply vanished.

This massive disappearance of livestock is not simply the result of petty theft, but rather the consequence of a security situation that has spiraled out of control at the crossroads of three borders.

Chronic instability, fueled by the presence of non-state armed groups and organized crime networks, has wiped out decades of pastoral economy, forcing thousands of herding families to migrate south.

In Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, authorities are now strengthening veterinary controls and gendarmerie patrols to curb the trade in stolen livestock, which feeds illicit financing networks throughout the sub-region.

This crisis, beyond the material loss, directly threatens food security and social cohesion between local communities in an area already weakened by climate change.