Shedding some light on the murky business of small arms trafficking

Shedding some light on the murky business of small arms trafficking
The business of trading in small arms and their ammunition fuels many of the conflicts in the developing world. Getty Images/Abid Katib
Shedding some light on the murky business of small arms trafficking
The business of trading in small arms and their ammunition fuels many of the conflicts in the developing world. Getty Images/Abid Katib

Shedding some light on the murky business of small arms trafficking

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Poorly regulated by few international laws, the small arms trade is filled with shady brokers, risk-taking pilots and corrupt government officials. The lucrative business of small arms,  which include light weapons such as AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and their ammunition, is largely conducted in the shadows, but the cost in terms of millions of lives lost is in plain view.

Hugh Griffiths, an arms trafficking expert with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, sheds some light on the gray business of small arms and tells us about his innovative project called Ethical Cargo which works to curtail the trade.