U.S. conventional weapons destruction program counters illicit arms trafficking in Chad
NewsSUMMARY: The strategic Lake Chad Basin region is a nexus for illicit arms trafficking by local Al-Qaeda and ISIS affiliates, Boko Haram, and other violent extremist organizations. Recently, a team from the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (WRA) visited Chad to oversee the implementation of WRA-funded physical security and stockpile management projects conducted in cooperation with the Chadian government and Mines Advisory Group (MAG). These projects, especially those which destroy stockpiles of excess weapons and ammunition, have become an important tool for stopping illicit diversions of weapons to violent extremist organizations, preventing accidental weapons depot explosions, and mitigating internal armed conflict.