China’s Secret Arms Trade Could Fan Conflict in Africa

China is preparing to facilitate large-scale shipments of weapons and military equipment to African countries, in particular Sudan and South Sudan, through its military logistics base in Djibouti.

China’s Secret Arms Trade Could Fan Conflict in Africa

By Khalifa Hemed
Published September 5, 2018

EXX Africa, a business risk intelligence company, says China is seeking to control a greater share of the weapons trade in Africa in order to protect its extensive infrastructure investments on the continent. China is is stepping up its shipments of weapons to conflict zones through Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

Beyond the commercial objective of increasing sales of Chinese manufactured weapons and military equipment, a special report by EXX Africa business risk intelligence company says China is also seeking to control a greater share of the weapons trade in Africa in order to protect its extensive infrastructure investments on the continent. On the back of the One Belt, One Road initiative, China has made massive investments in East Africa, including railway lines, hydro-power dams, and ports projects in countries such as Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Exx Africa, that styles itself as ‘a specialist intelligence company that delivers accurate, decision-ready, and commercially relevant forecasts on African political and economic risk to businesses’, says central to the ‘One Belt, One Road’ strategy is China’s military logistics base in Djibouti, which China is preparing to facilitate large-scale shipments of weapons and military equipment to African countries, in particular Sudan and South Sudan.

China is preparing to facilitate large-scale shipments of weapons and military equipment to African countries, in particular Sudan and South Sudan, through its military logistics base in Djibouti. Djibouti’s own strategically important port, which lies in a major shipping lane, is also set to move towards the centre of the regional arms trade.

Following a new investigation that included collection of intelligence from well-placed security sector sources in the Horn of Africa, we have found evidence that Chinese weapons are making their way from the Chinese PLA Support Base in Djibouti and the commercial Port of Djibouti towards African conflict zones that have been placed under an arms embargo.