The United Nations said in a report on Monday that Opioid and cannabis abuse are above global averages in West and Central Africa. 

The report adds that cocaine trafficking through the region is financing militant violence in the Sahel.

Slow recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the worsening humanitarian situation in the Sahel, and the impact of the war in Ukraine could exacerbate drug taking and trafficking if governments did not respond to warning signs, the agency said.

Although 90% of cocaine is seized on maritime routes, significant amounts have also been intercepted in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali since 2021.