Africa in Fact Issue 52
Silencing the guns

Silencing the guns

Africa: fragile gains There’s been some progress towards ending wars on the continent, but 2020 was never a realistic goal for ending all conflicts Seven years ago, in 2013, African leaders solemnly vowed “not to...

Opaque and difficult to quantify

Opaque and difficult to quantify

Light weapons: a roadmap Africa has made some innovative interventions to reduce illicit small arms flows, despite a scarcity of data and challenges on several fronts A member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement...

Africa and the ‘grey market’

Africa and the ‘grey market’

Transnational brokering: a complex web Businesses and criminal syndicates have both violated United Nations arms embargoes, sometimes with the collusion of corrupt state officials Arms brokering or inter-mediation is a...

A legacy of bloodshed and corruption

A legacy of bloodshed and corruption

The arms industry: fuelling conflict The world’s biggest arms fair, which turned 20 in 2019, is lauded as a ‘fantastic showcase’ by its British hosts, but critics strongly disagree  The Defence and Security Equipment...

Existential threats to humanity

Existential threats to humanity

Nuclear weapons: the African view African states argue that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only guarantee against their use or threat of use The climate crisis – the process of climate change – and its...

A plague of greed and illegality

A plague of greed and illegality

Small arms and light weapons: an African overview State fragility and political instability continue to create an ever-increasing demand for small arms and light weapons Following the end of World War II, Africa’s...