African Union’s 2020 campaign to achieve peace and end conflict, extremism, crimeRealising a conflict-free Africa is the dream of every African. ALSO READ: OPINION: APPROPRIATION OF AFRICA INTO DEBT BEFORE & AFTER THE SIXTIES“Before leaving Addis Ababa, the AU leaders resolved not to pass the burden of conflict to future generations, so they adopted “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” as one of the flagship projects of the wider developmental blueprint Agenda 2063,” Ms. Aïssatou Hayatou, the AU “Silencing the Guns” operations manager, told Africa Renewal. 80% of all small arms in Africa are in the hands of civilians, according to the Small Arms Survey (SAS), an independent Geneva-based research centre which generates evidence-based, impartial, and policy-relevant knowledge and analysis on small arms and armed violence issues for governments, policy-makers, researchers, and civil society. Official military expenditure in Africa stood at around $40.2 billion in 2018, with North Africa spending $22.2 billion and sub-Saharan Africa $18.8 billion, according to the ISS. Porous borders and long coastlines also enable traffickers to smuggle small arms between countries.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 30, 2020 15:45 UTC