Africa has lost much to conflict since the end of the Cold War. The result has been broken economies, the destruction of infrastructure, untold deaths and millions of displaced citizens. The social toll has included poverty and the destruction of education and health systems. Conflict has created opportunities for political instability, manifested in authoritarian regimes at best and dictatorships at worst, rampant corruption and the violation of human rights. At the heart of all of this has been, and remains, the arms trade, both legal and illicit. Although by no means the only supplier, Russia remains the biggest purveyor of arms to Africa, supplying about 40% of the continent’s weaponry. In fact, the Avtomat Kalashnikova, more commonly known as the AK-47 assault rifle, is so emblematic of Russia’s role in the proxy wars fought on African soil during the Cold War that it remains on Mozambique’s flag to this day. Russia is a popular supplier, its critics say, because it appears wholly unconcerned with where, and with whom, its weapons turn up. The UN-brokered Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a legally binding multilateral instrument to...