Tackling illicit arms in Africa: building cooperation between Africa, China and Europe

The Africa-China-Europe (ACE) project aimed to tackle illegal flows of arms and ammunition in Africa by promoting dialogue and cooperation between Africa, China and the European Union. This final report summarises the project’s achievements since 2019.

In this report, we explore efforts to address the widespread availability of arms in Africa. We describe recent developments in conventional arms control – in particular small arms and light weapons (SALW) – in Africa, China and Europe.

We share our conclusions and recommendations from the ACE project research, including case studies on Burkina Faso, South Africa, and South Sudan, plus an in-depth report on tackling arms diversion in Africa.

While noting there is much more to do, we conclude by advocating continued awareness raising, sharing lessons learnt on SALW control, along with information-sharing and cooperation between suppliers and recipients of arms transfers – including in Africa, China, and Europe.

Read the report.

Read more about the Africa-China-EU project.

Read more about our work on effective arms control.