Experts to the Union: Arms trade ignites crises in the African coast

Shaaban Bilal (Cairo)

Experts and political analysts have warned of the spread of the illicit arms trade in the Sahel region of Africa, due to its major role in deepening the security crisis and the spread of terrorism in that region, which is already inflamed as a result of the political and security instability it has witnessed for decades.
According to independent estimates, there are about 30 million small and light weapons in the region, out of nearly 100 million pieces spread across the African continent, constituting less than one-sixth of the total number of them in circulation in the world, which amounts to more than 640 million pieces.
The researcher specializing in African affairs, Mohamed Ezz El-Din, believes that the spread of the illicit arms trade in Africa in general and the African Sahel in particular, deepens the security crisis, as non-state armed groups continue to launch large-scale attacks against civilian and military targets, and engage in confrontations to gain access to resources and impose control. Territoriality and influence.
Izz al-Din explained, in a statement to Ittihad, that this was clearly evident in Niger and Nigeria, pointing out that Boko Haram and other terrorist movements in Mali obtained 6 types of weapons, which had negative effects on the stability of the region, and also helped in the formation of groups. Drug smugglers or human trafficking.
For his part, the Ethiopian researcher on African affairs, Anwar Ibrahim Ahmed, said that the movements in the Sahel region, especially in light of the increase in military coups, may lead to dangerous developments in the coming stages, adding that the region is witnessing a proxy conflict through regional and international interventions trying to liquidate issues and files on the lands. African region.
Ibrahim explained, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that “terrorist and extremist groups in the African Sahel region often target border areas, especially the tri-border region of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger,” calling for the need to strengthen the ability of communities and local actors to respond to shocks and confront the situation. The already deteriorating humanitarian situation due to the security crisis.
The United Nations warned that the security situation in the Sahel region is “extremely worrying,” noting that the violence poses increasing humanitarian challenges in Burkina Faso, where about 4.7 million people needed humanitarian assistance last year, and more than two million internally displaced persons were displaced. This is in comparison. With 3.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2022.
The researcher on African affairs, Muhammad Turshin, said that the spread of weapons on the African coast is a natural result of the repercussions associated with the security collapse, especially in Mali and Burkina Faso, which are witnessing the control of armed groups, whether “ISIS” or “Al-Qaeda”, or groups that manage cross-border crime such as illegal immigration, weapons and drugs. .
Turchin revealed in a statement to Al-Ittihad that a new phenomenon will be present, represented by the spread of crime linked to illegal immigration and drug trafficking, after the Niamey authorities abolished the laws restricting illegal immigration, which will have an impact on the countries of the Lake Chad Basin and the Gulf of Guinea. And so is Europe.