translate English to French: At independence, the newly independent states were forced to build the institutions of statehood from scratch, with little preparation and highly limited financial resources, and often in an environment of armed conflict. This ensured the weakness of governments’ control over state institutions; and that agencies crucial to combating crime such as customs, border guards and police remained inexperienced, understaffed and underpaid.
Dans un tel contexte, les gouvernements ne pouvaient guère avoir de contrôle sur les institutions étatiques et des acteurs aussi essentiels pour la lutte contre la criminalité que les services de douane, de garde-frontières et de police ont manqué de l’expérience, du personnel et du budget nécessaires.