Significant proportions of weapons and arms seized from armed groups in Niger came from West African state stockpiles, suggesting authorities are struggling to secure arms stores in the region, a report has said.
There was no suggestion that any governments were sending weapons to rebels who have launched attacks in Niger as well as Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the group that published the report, said on Monday.
Instead, the findings showed that “maintaining custody of military material represents a challenge for the region’s national security forces, particularly those engaged in active military and counterterrorism operations”, CAR added.
