GIR - Navigating Investigative Challenges in Fragile and Conflict Environments

The world is fraught with political, economic and security fragility. A ground war in Eastern Europe, a series of coups across Africa’s Sahel belt, civil conflict in Myanmar and a breakdown of law and order in Central America are just a few of the recent events that signal that the world is a metaphorical minefield of challenges.

Political stability and effective rule of law go hand in hand; however, both are typically absent in fragile and conflict environments. Corruption and illicit capital flows that are the cause and consequence of state fragility tend to create the vulnerabilities that development finance seeks to address. Despite best efforts, such financing is all too often at risk of abuse when it is subject to constraints in terms of oversight and those intent on benefiting personally.

When allegations emerge, the need to demonstrate a robust response is strong but not always easy to implement in fragile and conflict environments. In this chapter, we set out key areas that, based on our experience, should be considered at the outset in an investigation in these circumstances. Every situation is different, but there are some basic ‘rules of engagement’ relevant to such environments, which require the investigator to adapt their approach to be able to work effectively and safely and to preserve the integrity of the work-product.

We have structured this chapter around the core broad phases of preparation, investigating and reporting.

Read the full article here.

This article was first published on Global Investigations Review in February 2025; for further in-depth analysis, please visit GIR The Guide to Multilateral Development Bank Investigations - Edition 1.