The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) published on Tuesday February 14 a new report on this traffic between Mauritania, Mali, Burkina, Niger, Chad. He asks for States to become aware in order to try to curb this presence of arms.
No less than 9,300 people died last year in violence in the Sahel. Rebellions, banditry, Islamists, inter-community tensions: the sources of violence in this vast region of North Africa are multiple and involve an ever-increasing quantity of weapons.
The report reveals that these come mainly from the African continent itself, with the primary source of circulation being so-called “deviated” weapons. They are most often stolen from national forces on the battlefield, from armories, or purchased from corrupt agents.
But François Patuel, head of the research unit at UNODC, is worried about a new phenomenon, that of States which arm civilians to fight, as in Burkina with the Volunteers for the Defense of the Fatherland. According to him, these people often without training are very vulnerable and targeted by various groups who steal their weapons “.
Another part of the traffic comes from weapons inherited from old conflicts such as the Tuareg rebellions of the 90s. There is also artisanal production, with African know-how. A cheaper local source favored by certain groups such as traditional hunters or community militias.
Trafficking is facilitated in areas where the state is absent. There are open-air markets in villages near borders or transport routes, such as Agazragane in Mali.
Finally, the report reveals a certain helplessness in the face of the size of the traffic. Most seizures are small amounts taken from individuals crossing the border. ” This makes tracking all the more difficult for States », explains François Patuel.
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