Of the many challenges plaguing the African continent, insecurity has increasingly ranked high over the years with the livelihood of many truncated as a result of terrorism, political unrest, tribal/religious biases, amongst others. Its impact has been the displacement of its people, economic instability, and an overall deterrent to its growth potential.
Of the many challenges plaguing the African continent, insecurity has increasingly ranked high over the years with the livelihood of many truncated as a result of terrorism, political unrest, tribal/religious biases, amongst others. Its impact has been the displacement of its people, economic instability, and an overall deterrent to its growth potential.
A Reliefweb report stated that as of 2021, over 32 million Africans had been displaced by either conflict or some other form of repression. Ten African countries (Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Libya, and more) account for 88 percent (28 million) of that number. Over the period, Ethiopia saw the largest number of displaced people in the past year with an estimated 1.8 million people dislocated due to the conflict in Tigray.
In response to high rates of terrorism and conflict, nations have amped up their combat equipment. Below are some of the most ranked nations:
Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Chad, And Ghana Purchased The Most Pieces Of Equipment
The Boko Haram insurgency has disrupted activities in Nigeria and some of its neighbouring nations for years. This has, in turn, led to a dire need to purchase more sophisticated equipment to combat the insurgents and further strengthen their military presence. The Boko Haram violence in Cameroon has led to a major humanitarian crisis, forcing over 322,000 people from their homes since 2014, including 12,500 since December last year. According to Statista, Nigeria is the country most affected by this terrorist group attacks with states in the Northeast region registering the highest number of deaths – with over 35,000 of them in Borno State alone since they began operation in Nigeria.
Nigeria purchased the most equipment with at least 292 armored vehicles and 13 aircrafts acquired. Mali purchased 124 armored vehicles; Cameroon purchased 54 armored vehicles; Ghana acquired 40 armored vehicles, and Chad purchased a total of 33 armored vehicles over the same period of 2021.
Other Notable Procurements include:
- Burkina Faso’s acquisition of 24 armored vehicles.
- Somalia’s purchase of 22 armored vehicles.
- Ethiopia’s purchase of 18 aircraft.
- Niger’s purchase of 15 armored vehicles and 2 aircraft.
- Angola’s purchase of 6 aircraft.
- Mauritania’s purchase of 2 aircraft, and
- Senegal and Uganda purchase of one aircraft and an armored vehicle respectively.
Takeaways
While playing defense may circumvent the insurgency and insecurity challenge, it may not be sustainable over the long term. African Governments need to do better in finding root causes and uprooting them to preserve the peace of their nations and enhancing socio-economic stability.
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