Weapons sent to Ukraine begin to flood Africa

Abuja – President Nigeria Muhamadu Buhari warned that weapons Western countries were sending to Ukraine were “starting to seep” into the Lake Chad Basin region.

“Unfortunately, the situation in the Sahel and the war raging in Ukraine are the main source of weapons and fighters strengthening the ranks of terrorists in the region,” Buhari said. SputnikSaturday (3/12/2022).

He told heads of state from neighboring countries attending the Lake Chad Basin Commission in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Buhari then urged his colleagues to strengthen security cooperation to combat the threat of arms smuggling. Together with the leaders of Benin, Chad, Niger and the Central African Republic, the Nigerian president agreed to increase military coordination in their country’s fight against Boko Haram and ISIS terrorists who are now reportedly receiving arms from Ukraine.

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Russian political leaders and Interpol officials had previously warned for months that weapons sent to Ukrainian nationalists were likely to fall into the hands of hardened criminals in Europe and beyond.

So far, however, Western governments have largely refused to take the suggestions seriously, with many gun bazaars suggesting that Western gun displays are the product of Russian disinformation.

In September, a British news agency insisted that the existence of such an illegal arms market could amount to an organized disinformation campaign.

But according to European police, the impact of incoming weapons is anything but artificial. Last month, Finnish police said part of the “significant amount” of weapons shipped to Ukraine had reached Finland, where three of the world’s biggest motorcycle gangs now operate, including Bandidos MC, which has branches in all major cities of Ukraine.

Christer Ahlgren, head of organized crime at the Finnish Police Investigation Bureau, told local media it was impossible to say how many weapons were in the country and in which hands.