UN-Backed Peacekeepers In Sub-Saharan Africa Have Lost Enough Arms Over The Past Two Decades To Arm An Army

UN peacekeepers in Liberia. Photo: UNMIL/Staton Winter

Al Jazeera: UN peacekeeping arms losses could equip an army: report

UN-backed peacekeepers have lost enough guns and ammunition in sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades to arm an army, according to a study by the Small Arms Survey.

The research group's director, Eric Berman, said peacekeepers have lost "at least thousands of weapons and millions of rounds of ammunition" this century, often handing them over to local fighters without putting up a fight.

Losses range from pistols and bullets to heavy machine guns, mortars, recoilless guns and grenade launchers, which can be military game-changers on the battlefields of Somalia, Democratic republic of Congo, and Sudan, Berman told Al Jazeera.

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WNU Editor: The report that details these loses can be read here .... Making a Tough Job More Difficult.