Arms Transfers to Africa 2017-2021
Source: The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published in March 2022 a study titled “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2021” by Pieter D. Wezeman, Alexandra Kuimova and Siemon T. Wezeman.
Between 2012-16 and 2017-21 imports of major arms by African states (SIPRI includes Egypt in the Middle East) decreased by 34 percent. Russia was the largest supplier to Africa in 2017-21, accounting for 44 percent of imports of major arms to the region, followed by the US (17 percent), China (10 percent), and France (6 percent).
In 2017-21, Algeria accounted for 44 percent of total African arms imports, although they decreased by 37 percent between 2012-16 and 2017-21. Arms imports by Morocco fell by 27 percent in the same period. Egypt was the third largest arms importer in the world in 2017-21, accounting for almost 6 percent of the global total and were 73 percent higher than in 2012-16. In 2017-21, Russia accounted for 41 percent of Egyptian arms imports. The US was only the fifth largest supplier in that period.
States in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounted for only 2 percent of total global imports of major arms in 2017-21. Their arms imports were 35 percent lower in 2017-21 than in 2012-16. In 2017-21, the five largest arms importers in SSA were Angola, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mali, and Botswana.
Nigeria received major arms from 13 suppliers in 2017-21. Deliveries included 272 armored vehicles from China and 7 combat helicopters from Russia.
Ethiopia received air defense equipment from Russia and Ukraine during the first three years of the period 2017-21. While no transfers of major arms to war-torn Ethiopia from these two states were identified for 2020-21, several deliveries by other suppliers are known to have taken place, including multiple rocket launchers from China and unmanned aerial vehicles from Turkey and an unidentified supplier.
The largest arms supplier to Mali in 2017-21 was Russia, which delivered 4 armed transport helicopters and 4 combat helicopters.
Labels: Africa, Algeria, Angola, arms transfers, Botswana, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, US