How the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALWs) is fueling conflicts in West Africa

This year marks the seventh year since the Islamist group Boko Haram’s violent attacks began to spill over Nigeria’s north-eastern frontier in 2014. “Stephen Garba, from Gwoza community in Borno State lost all his siblings and several relatives during a deadly Boko Haram attack seven years ago. Fortunately for him, he had travelled to a nearby village on the day of the attack.” According to data from the UNHCR , over 3.2 million people are displaced, including over 2.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-eastern Nigeria, and over 684,000 IDPs in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Life has become difficult for Stephen who is currently…