Editing Arms trafficking (section)

==== Liberia and Sierra Leone conflicts ====
The [[Sierra Leone Civil War|civil war in Sierra Leone]] lasted from 1991 to 2002, and left 75,000 people dead. Gunrunning played a significant role in this conflict. Weapons of all sorts were shipped to all sides in both [[Sierra Leone]], and [[Liberia]] from abroad. These included [[small arms]], such as, [[pistol]]s, [[assault rifle]]s, grenades, [[M18 Claymore mine|Claymores]], knives, machetes, etc. Larger weapons such as missiles, light machine guns, mortars, anti-tank missiles, tanks, and planes were also used. During this time a civil war was occurring in nearby Liberia. The [[Liberian Civil War (disambiguation)|Liberian Civil Wars]] took place from 1989 through 1997. The war was between the existing government and the [[National Patriotic Front of Liberia|National Patriotic Front]]. Leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, [[Charles Taylor (Liberian politician)|Charles Taylor]], helped to create the [[Revolutionary United Front]] (RUF) in Sierra Leone. Taylor was the recipient of thousands of illegally trafficked arms from eastern Europe (mostly Ukraine). Taylor then sold some of these weapons to the RUF in exchange for diamonds.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last1=Rothe |first1=Dawn L. |last2=Ross |first2=Jeffrey Ian |date=2012 |title=How States Facilitate Small Arms Trafficking in Africa: A Theoretical and Juristic Interpretation |url=https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/context/ajcjs/article/1084/viewcontent/How_20States_20Facilitate_20Small_20Arms_20Trafficking_20in_20Africa.pdf |journal=SSRN Working Paper Series |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2427762 |issn=1556-5068|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123121748/https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2427762|archive-date=2023-01-23|url-status=live }}</ref> President of Burkina Faso, [[Blaise Compaoré|Blaise Compaore]], "directly facilitated Liberia's arms-for-diamonds trade" with Liberia and Sierra Leone.<ref name=":4" /> Compaore would give guns to Taylor, who would then sell them to the RUF in exchange for diamonds. These [[blood diamond]]s would then be sold back to Compaore for more guns. The cyclical exchange allowed Compaore the ability to deny directly sending arms to Sierra Leone.[[Image:Gun pyre in Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A tower of confiscated smuggled weapons about to be set ablaze in [[Nairobi]], [[Kenya]]]]

The Liberian government received arms through an elaborate front company in [[Guinea]]. The arms were intended to be shipped (legally) from [[Uganda]] to [[Slovakia]]. However, the arms were diverted to Guinea as a part of "an elaborate bait and switch".<ref name=":4" /> Additionally the British government "encouraged [[Sandline International]], a private security firm and non state entity, to supply arms and ammunitions to the loyal forces of the exiled government of President Kabbah."<ref>{{Citation |last=Schabas |first=William |title=Truth Commissions and Courts |date=2004 |pages=3–54 |editor-last=Schabas |editor-first=William |chapter=A Synergistic Relationship: The Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court for Sierra Leone |publisher=Springer Netherlands |doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-3237-0_1 |isbn=978-1-4020-3223-3 |s2cid=143783314 |editor2-last=Darcy |editor2-first=Shane}}</ref> Sandline proceeded 35 tons of arms from Bulgaria, to Kabbah's forces.<ref name=":4" />