The Sahel insurgency and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, have led to an increase in the number of weapons in the nations surrounding Lake Chad.
He claimed that weapons used in Ukraine and Russia were “starting to trickle to the region” and that weapons used in the fight in Libya “continue to find [their]way.”
According to him, the security of the neighboring nations of Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria was seriously jeopardized.
At the summit for the Lake Chad region in the Nigerian capital of Abuja, he said, “Unfortunately, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as important sources of weapons and fighters that reinforce the ranks of the terrorists in the region.”
In order to curb the trafficking of weaponry, Mr. Buhari stated that the region’s nations must strengthen border security. He noted that the security situation in the region was complicated and ever-changing.
This was “increasingly influenced by the impact of climate change and other elements, including regrettably some external forces,” he claimed.
Presidents of Benin, Chad, Niger, and the Central African Republic attended the summit, along with officials from Cameroon and Libya. The summit’s participants also included representatives from Libya and Cameroon.
