World Arms Trade To African States Fuels Much Of The Poverty Problem

Tony Blair and world leaders may lament the poverty in Africa as a bothersome "North-South" issue. And the Live 8 offers the simplistic notion that "debt relief" can solve much of Africa's problems. And President Bush while offering aid to Africa, has not attacked the real root problem of African poverty. This is massive arms sales to many poor and repressive undemocratic African states by Western nations that furthers war and prevents a useful political dialogue and evolution of democracy in African states.

1/8 of the 193 nations of the world are currently involved in some sort of civil war or other military conflict. Many of these nations are in Africa. Some states such as Uganda and Ethiopia spend 40% of their governments budgets on military arms. Other states like Mauritana spend 25%. And Mali spends 20% of all government funds on arms. In 2004, arms merchants from Britain sold $200 million in arms to African states. And American, Russian, German, French, Israeli and South African companies all profit from arms sales to poor African states that total into the billions per year.

States in Africa that were once dominated by European colonial powers, are now dominated by repressive regimes that discourage an open political dialogue and system by genocidal wars against political dissidents and ethnic minorities. In the last four decades in Africa, 15 million persons have been killed in genocidal wars fueled by massive arms sales to poor repressive African governments. This environment of political repression rather than a democratic environment has greatly contributed to the poverty, illiteracy and AIDS problem in Africa. The solution of "debt relief" for Africa is hardly a step in the right direction if the poor states newly found debt freedom only allows repressive states the encouragement to spend more money on arms from Western states, Russia, Israel and South Africa. This "debt relief" doesn't automaticly promise a more peaceful or democratic government.

Few in America know about the peace keeping efforts that some nations find themselves involved in former colonies because of political problems. In the Ivory Coast, France has thousands of peacekeeping troops tied down to prevent war between the government and rebel forces. The Ivory Coast is the world's leading exporter of cocoa to the West. And this war has greatly threatened the world's supply of chocolate candy in Western nations. Only because of this huge cash crop did France take an interest in this former colony. Other African nations with few natural resources are grounds with no peacekeepers and open warfare that promotes poverty, illiteracy and health issues.

Debt relief to poor African states is one important step. But the world community also needs to curb arms sales and promote a peaceful political environment in African states to allow an environment where illiteracy, hunger, poverty, AIDS, and other issues can be effectively reduced. Governments in African states should hold free and multiple party elections. But current environment of repressive governments who spend a large part of their governments budget on world arms to promote political repression rather than promote a growing economy, fund health or education is not an environment that holds much hope for Africa.

Live 8 is like so many well intentioned efforts. It means well, and certainly does some good. But the massive world arms sales to Africa are the poison that prevents so many African problems from improving. Curtailing this massive arms trade to repressive African states deserves a major role in the debate over African improvement of social, economic and political progress.