Abstract
Across Africa, the proliferation and permeation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) is argued to be largely responsible for the rise of conflicts—low and high intensity conflicts—and criminality. The chapter examines the nature, depth, and dynamics of conflicts in Africa, and the role of small arms proliferation on armed violence and crisis of security in the continent. The chapter presents a broad picture of the rise of arms proliferation, and its repercussion on Africa’s complex emergencies and diverse terrains of conflicts and insecurity—state and non-state sectors; and regional and international specters; private and public sectors. The chapter diagnoses the root causes, depth, and dynamism of conflicts–small arms nexus in Africa. The chapter argues that SALWs proliferation is driven by human and structural factors and, therefore, resolving Africa’s crises of security requires bold actions at all fronts, and concerted national and international collaboration.
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Tar, U.A. (2021). Background: Small Arms, Violent Conflicts, and Complex Emergencies in Africa—A Fatal Combination. In: Tar, U.A., Onwurah, C.P. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Small Arms and Conflicts in Africa. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62183-4_2
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