“Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine may open additional opportunities for Chinese military influence in Nigeria. China, Russia exporting arms to AfricaThe Atlantic Council estimated that between 2010 and 2021, Russia accounted for 24% of all arms exports to sub-Saharan Africa, China for 22% and the U.S. for 5%. The other is that sales of Chinese arms — unlike U.S. arms exports which are governed by International Traffic in Arms regulations — don’t come with strings attached. Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, said the Atlantic Council data showed a “big jump” in recent Chinese arms sales compared to previous data. Regardless of where they buy their weapons, analysts say both Western-supplied weapons and Chinese weapons can fall into the wrong hands or be used in human rights abuses.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 18, 2023 15:51 UTC