Buhari: Russia-Ukraine war contributing to arms proliferation in Lake Chad region

President Muhammadu Buhari says the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is influencing the activities of insurgents in the Lake Chad region.

Buhari said this on Tuesday at the 16th summit of the heads of state and government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), held in Abuja.

Established in May 1964, the “mandates of the Commission include: the management of the Lake Chad and its shared water resources, preservation of the ecosystems and promotion of regional integration, peace, security, and development in the Lake Chad Region”.

Speaking on insecurity in the region, Buhari said the Russia-Ukraine war has also escalated the spread of small arms and light weapons in the region.

“Despite the successes recorded by the gallant troops of the MNJTF and the various ongoing national operations in the region, terrorist threats still lurk in the region,” he said.

“Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the Lake Chad Region.

“A substantial proportion of the arms and ammunition procured to execute the war in Libya continues to find its way to the Lake Chad Region and other parts of the Sahel.

“Weapons being used for the war in Ukraine and Russia are equally beginning to filter to the region.

“This illegal movement of arms into the region has heightened the proliferation of small arms and light weapons which continues to threaten our collective peace and security in the region.

“There is, therefore, the urgent need for expedited collaborative actions by our border control agencies and other security services to stop the circulation of all illegal weapons in the region.”