13 February 2022
Guinea-Bissau: The “coup attempt” of 1st of February remains shrouded in mystery. President Embaló has named three men linked to drug dealing as having instigated the putsch attempt. With the country in the past described as a “narco-state”, this explanation may seem plausible. But there are pieces of the puzzle that don’t fit. Why didn’t the military intervene in the five-hour gun battle that supposedly tried to get rid of the president and his government? One alternative explanation is that Embaló “may have staged the coup in order to persuade the West Africa regional group Ecowas ‘to send troops to maintain him in power’.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60349039
12 February 2022
Trade in Small Arms: The highlight of the article is a map of northern, western and eastern Africa showing small arm supply routes as well as trafficking routes. There is plenty of them. Available statistics don’t capture all the trade in small arms on the continent. “Achieving more transparency in the small arms and ammunition trade would support better and more independent monitoring of the legal trade. This, in turn, would contribute to preventing its diversion to unauthorised users and traffickers.”
https://theconversation.com/arms-trade-to-africa-can-be-opaque-why-this-is-dangerous-175996