Abstract
The proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) has transformed Africa’s political, economic, demographic, and socio-cultural landscapes in spectacular, but gory, ways. SALWs constitute one of the key factors in the escalation of conflict and instability in Africa’s zones of violence. Even in relatively peaceful parts of Africa, there are fears of diffusion of SALWs to fuel dormant conflicts and criminality. This chapter explores the conceptual and contextual boundaries of the small arms proliferation and conflicts in Africa. The chapter reveals that the boundaries are fast changing and dynamic. Small arms fuel most conflicts in Africa, and arms control regimens should be informed by a sound knowledge of the changing and fragile terrains of governance, policy, and institution building.
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Tar, U.A. (2021). Introduction: The Frontiers of Small Arms Proliferation and Conflicts in Africa. 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_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62183-4_1
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