The illicit trade and diversion of arms and ammunition into and inside Africa is fuelling civil wars and enabling violent groups to launch attacks against governments, communities, humanitarian aid workers and United Nations (UN) peacekeeping personnel.

This project aims to promote three-way dialogue and cooperation between people, organisations and institutions in Africa, China and the European Union (EU) on tackling the illicit trade and diversion of arms, in particular small arms and light weapons (SALW) and ammunition in conflict-affected contexts in Africa.

This project has established a non-governmental Africa-China-Europe Expert Working Group (EWG) on conventional arms control to: increase awareness and engagement on issues related to the illicit trade and diversion of arms and ammunition into and inside Africa; promote compliance with existing commitments and recommend new policies where necessary; and increase cooperation and action between policy-makers in Africa, China and the EU to tackle diversion and reduce arms-related violence.