Arms Trade to Africa Can Be Opaque - Why This is Dangerous

A report by The Conversation's Alaa Tartir and Nicolas Florquin has revealed that few illicit flows of arms and ammunition feed into existing trafficking networks, which in West Africa contribute to fuelling conflict and instability in several ways.

Small Arms Survey research in the tri-border region of Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Mali, for example, documented an increase in smuggling and trafficking activities due to growing local demand for illicit goods and firearms.

This demand is fuelled by banditry, communities' need for self-defence, traditional hunters' reliance on firearms, and artisanal and small-scale gold mining.

The growing trade is challenging states' ability to monitor and control their borders.

Several governments in the region have sought to contain and respond to insecurity by increasing their reliance on local self-defence groups for providing community protection.

Some of the main smuggling and trafficking hubs are located in the Sahara-Sahel region, which has been particularly affected by conflict and the attacks of prominent terrorist-designated armed groups.

While the specific linkages between arms trafficking and insecurity are complex and context-specific, it is clear that illicit transfers to Africa have the potential to rapidly reach countries and regions affected by insecurity and armed violence.

Achieving more transparency in the small arms and ammunition trade would support better and more independent monitoring of the legal trade. This, in turn, would contribute to preventing its diversion to unauthorised users and traffickers.