O silenciamento das armas em Bamako e Lagos

This policy brief examines the intersection of rapid urbanization and transnational organized crime in Bamako and Lagos, focusing on how illicit arms trafficking fuels urban violence. It identifies the actors, routes, and drivers of arms proliferation and recommends integrated governance and security interventions to mitigate these threats.

• Illicit arms in Bamako and Lagos are sourced from a variety of actors, including local blacksmiths who manufacture firearms, corrupt security officials, and criminal enterprises involved in smuggling.
• In Bamako, the illicit arms economy is driven by transnational terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), the Al Mourabitoune Battalion, the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), and the Group for the Islam and Muslims (GSIM).
• In Lagos, a diverse market for illicit arms is provided by kidnappers, armed robbers, pipeline vandals, ethnic militias, and cult gangs such as the 'No Salary Boys', 'Awawa Boys', and 'One Million Boys'.
• Poor urban planning in both cities facilitates arms trafficking, as unfinished and abandoned buildings are used by criminals to plan operations and store illicit weapons.
• Maritime ports serve as critical entry points for illicit arms into Lagos, where traffickers use fraudulent documentation and concealment methods, such as hiding rifles in containers declared as toilets or plasma televisions.
• Border porosity and corruption among border guards are significant enabling factors for the flow of small arms and ammunition into Mali and Nigeria.
• The proliferation of illicit arms has led to significant casualties and violence; ACLED data indicates 241 deaths from armed group attacks in Lagos between 2012 and 2021, and 34 separate attacks in Bamako and its peri-urban areas since 2011.
• The document argues that centralized security governance hinders the ability of subnational administrations to collaborate effectively in combating urban arms trafficking.

APA

Ojewale, O. (2023). O silenciamento das armas em Bamako e Lagos. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-policy-brief-2-por.pdf

Chicago

Ojewale, Oluwole. O silenciamento das armas em Bamako e Lagos. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-policy-brief-2-por.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ojewale |first1=Oluwole |title=O silenciamento das armas em Bamako e Lagos |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-policy-brief-2-por.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ojewale2023silenciamento, author = {Ojewale, Oluwole}, title = {{O silenciamento das armas em Bamako e Lagos}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-policy-brief-2-por.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }