Morocco, Algeria, Top Africa’s Arms Importers: Report

Rabat - Morocco received 22% of Africa’s global arms imports while Algeria headed the region’s ranking, with 36% of Africa’s imports, according to a new report.

In a tight arms race, Algeria and Morocco represented the two leading weapons procurers on the African continent over the last four years, according to The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s report.

The report asserted that Algeria and Morocco have been heading the Africa’s arms importers rankings for the last 4 years, with arms imports to the continent shooting up by 53 percent in 2009-2013 compared with 2004-2008.

Algeria was ranked the top African arms importer and tenth in the world, making up 36% of Africa’s imports, while Morocco was ranked the second in Africa with only 22% of Africa’s arms imports.

The report said that Morocco became world’s 10^th recipient, and it has remained France’s second largest recipient importing 11% of the French exports, after China which imports 13%.

According to the report, Russia was by far the largest supplier to Algiers. It supplied 93 percent of Algerian arms imports, while France was the second supplier to Algeria with 3%.

Heading the Arab list, United Arab Emirates was ranked the world’s 4^th largest arms importer after India, China and Pakistan despite the fact that its imports decreased in the last year.

The largest stockpile of arms belongs to India, which remains by far the biggest buyer of arms in the world, importing nearly three times as many weapons as its nearest rivals China and Pakistan over the last five years.

According to SIPRI, the United States remained at the top of the arms sellers' table for 2009-2013, accounting for 29 percent of global exports, followed closely by Russia at 20 percent.

Germany retained third place as the largest exporter of submarines, SIPRI said. German exports to Africa rose 53 percent, and Algeria, Morocco and Sudan were the biggest buyers.

SIPRI used a five-year cycle to even out fluctuations caused by a big order during any specific year. The institute bases its data on public sources as well as government and industry reports.

Edited by Jessica Rohan