As French and Malian combat soldiers fight al-Qaeda-linked groups in Mali, the director of IIED reflects on her experiences of life in a village near Diabaly, close to the conflict.
When arms sales jump by more than a fifth during a global economic downturn, you have to wonder who’s buying, who’s selling and what the implications are for poorer countries.
Richard Norton-Taylor, reporting in the UK Guardian, reports that the average volume of sales of arms — including weapons such as guns, ammunition, missiles, military aircraft, military vehicles, ships and electronic systems — has increased by 22 per cent over five years compared to the previous five. Demand from South America and Southeast Asia has been particularly high.
Conflict between companies that profit from forests and local people who depend on them could be tackled by industry-led approaches, but too few companies use them.
