Report reveals $1.9bn arms imported into Africa annually

The National Commission for the Coordination and Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation, on Tuesday, expressed worry over the spread and intrusion of weapons and ammunition into Africa.

According to the organisation, the development sparked disputes across the continent.

In a statement released in Abuja, the acting director-general of NATCOM, Adejare Adegbenro, bemoaned the $1.9 billion in weaponry and ammunition that African nations had collectively imported in 2019.

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Adegbenro suggested imposing sanctions on armament manufacturers to limit their capacity to foment war and lessen the incidence of violence and instability.

He said while frantic efforts had been made for peaceful and prosperous Africa, the infiltration of arms from external sources remained a challenge.

“The arms trade in Africa has far-reaching repercussions, with various regions plagued by conflicts occasioned by the easy access to weapons. From insurgencies and civil wars to insurgency, banditry and violent crimes, the proliferation of arms has dwarfed the continent’s progress. Infiltration of arms and ammunition from foreign producers heightens these issues, as they often end up in the hands of non-state actors and criminals, perpetuating instability and undermining development efforts.

“In 2019, African countries collectively imported approximately $1.9bn worth of arms, including ammunition, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. However, some of these arms and ammunition might have got in the wrong hands.

“For instance, in 2014, a UN group of experts monitoring the arms embargo on the Democratic Republic of Congo documented the presence of heavy machine gun ammunition bearing markings that were consistent with Chinese manufacture in armed group arms caches in the country’s North Kivu province.

“In its 2015 report, the group of experts established that this ammunition was originally part of a 2012 delivery of 12.7 × 108 mm ammunition from China to the Armed Forces of the DRC. Inasmuch as it is illegal to bear arms except for those security agencies or non-state actors licensed to bear them, private individuals, with reckless abandon, procure arms for clandestine use. Hence, the need for a body like NATCOM to ensure the mopping out of illegal arms,” he said.

Adegbenro called for sanctions against arms producers and suppliers fuelling conflicts.

“I believe sanctions on arms producers would restrict their ability to fuel conflicts, thereby reducing the occurrence of violence and instability,” he added.