III. Arms transfers to North Africa

Chapter:

7. International arms transfers

Source:

SIPRI Yearbook 2010

Author(s):

Paul Holtom, Mark Bromley, Pieter D. Wezeman, Siemon T. Wezeman

In recent years concerns have been expressed that regional rivals Algeria and Morocco are engaged in an ‘arms race’, which is also influencing Libya’s arms acquisition plans.⁵⁸ Although Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia accounted for only 3 per cent of global arms imports for the period 2005–2009, their total imports were 62 per cent higher than 2000–2004.⁵⁹ Algeria accounted for 89 per cent of transfers to North Africa during 2005–2009, but Morocco, which accounted for less than 6 per cent of the volume for the same period, has placed significant orders in 2008 and 2009, lending weight to arms race fears. The likelihood of interstate conflict between Algeria and Morocco is low. However, these reactive acquisitions do not contribute to an improvement in Algerian–Moroccan relations or improve the chances of an acceptable political settlement being reached in the UN-backed talks on the future status of Western Sahara.⁶⁰ This section provides an overview of recent and upcoming international transfers of arms and military equipment to Algeria, Morocco and Libya to help assess arms race claims. It considers a number of the factors driving these acquisitions and the concerns regarding them. It also highlights the competition between major suppliers to secure contracts in the region.