Committee: Disarmament and International Security

Committee (DISEC)
Country: The Republic of South Sudan
Topic: Narcotic-Terrorism

Narco-Terrorism refers to the terrorism associated with, or financed through the trade in illegal drugs.
The term was coined in 1983 by the former President of Peru Fernando Belaúnde Terry when
describing terrorist style attacks against his nation's anti-narcotics police. This definition has evolved
over time, to now encompass a sub-set of terrorism which is linked to the production, distribution or
profit of illegal drugs. The United Nations Security Council highlighted the importance of tackling this
issue in 2001, in resolution 1373, (“Notes with concern the close connection between international
terrorism and transnational organized crime, illicit drugs…”). The issues posed by Narco-terrorism are
split into two main categories, the first being the problems caused by, or relating to drug trafficking and
the second being the problems caused by, or relating to terrorism. First off, the drug trafficking has a
severe and implicit effect on a country’s or a region’s economy due to the fact that it allows for wealth to
flow into the hands of a few people and it creates economic instability, inflates property prices, and
encourages corruption. It destabilizes local and legitimate businesses in those regions which creates a
scenario where future economic progress and investment may seize to occur. Areas of high corruption
are a lot less likely to receive foreign investments, since investors are a lot less likely to go for the risk
of putting capital into a corrupt area. In regions where the rights of farmers (i.e., fixed/stable crop
prices, availability of loans, and cheap equipment and seeds) are not given, farmers tend to look towards
growing drugs like opium and heroin, as they provide a high profit. Opium in particular is favored due
to its less water-intensive nature. The issues caused by terrorism are that they cause insecurity among
the national and international communities and are severely detrimental to a country’s economy
(cutting off of foreign aid), cause political uncertainty, and create fear among the masses.

The main issue that needs to be tackled is the inadequate drug policy laid down by the international
community, which has historically focused on suppressing the supply, and criminalizing personal use of
drugs. Since these policies have been implemented, drug usage and production has grown. In order to
properly address this issue, South Sudan believes that the UN and 1st world countries should work with
different governments to ensure that these governments realize why drug trafficking is bad for their
own national interests, and should want to work with the UN to stop this, rather than just have to
withstand international pressures, and these countries should make this a dedicated goal. The UN
should also work with these countries in order to make sure that even areas where government control
is weak are not ignored. South Sudan believes that, in order to tackle Narco-Terrorism, we must tackle
the issue at its roots, the trafficking of drugs, and that we must make sure that governments recognize
the active harms that their people and economy suffer due to drug trafficking as well as the harms of
Narcotic Terrorism and the effect it can have on a country’s image.