The first is to document the present state of arms trafficking and the arms market in the tri-border area, as well as how conflict dynamics have changed in the wake of major regional developments, including the crisis in Sudan, regime change in Chad and the activity of the Wagner Group in the CAR. [...] The MLC has repeatedly clashed with Cameroon’s counter-terrorism forces in areas close to the Bouba Ndjida National Park, located next to the border with Chad and the CAR, which has acted as a safe haven for rebels, bandits and poachers in the tri-border area.43 The MLC has participated in illegal elephant poaching within the Bouba Ndjida park, following in the foot- steps of the Sudanese Janjawee. [...] Arms prices broadly increased in the tri-border region between 2021 and 2023, due to a combination of rising violence and limited injections of new weapons into the market.60 The February 2023 UN Panel of Experts report on the CAR noted that, in 2022, the growing insta- bility in Chad and Sudan had created greater demand and competition for SALW, thereby reducing availability in the CAR and ultima. [...] The varied mix of sources for SALW used by traffickers and dealers in the tri-border area may help to explain some of the more unusual contents of the shops, and the circumstances of their acquisition. [...] Further, such devastating thefts opens the space for armed groups to style themselves as would-be defend- ers of herders, as was the case in the CAR with the 3R group, contributing to the legitimacy of the armed group in the eyes of the community.
- Pages
- 34
- Published in
- Switzerland
