SIPRI: Algeria ranks eighth in world arms purchase

Algeria is the world’s eighth largest arms importer and ranks first among African nations in weapons purchasing, figures on international arms transfers show.

• According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Algeria has 48 percent of arms sold in Algeria followed by South Africa by 27 percent. Russia is Algeria’s first supplier as it purchases 13 percent of Russia’s arm sales.
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• “During 2006–10, arms imports were particularly high in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt and Algeria. Based on existing orders and known procurement plans, Saudi Arabian and Moroccan arms imports are expected to rise significantly in the coming years,” said Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Monday on its official website.
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• Dr Paul Holtom, Director of SIPRI said there is intense competition between suppliers for big-ticket deals in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and Latin America.
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• The states of the Middle East and North Africa have been regarded as potentially lucrative markets for arms exporters thanks to the resource revenue windfall of recent years. Interstate and internal tensions provide drivers for demand as well as give cause for concern, says the institute.
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• India ranks first followed by Pakistan, Singapore and Australia. India received 9 per cent of the volume of international arms transfers during 2006–10, with Russian deliveries accounting for 82 per cent of Indian arms imports.
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• According to SIPRI, the average volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2006–10 was 24 per cent higher than in 2001–2005. The major recipient region in 2006–10 remained Asia and Oceania (43 per cent of all imports), followed by Europe (21 per cent), the Middle East (17 per cent), the Americas (12 per cent) and Africa (7 per cent).
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• The four largest importers of conventional weapons in 2006–10 are located in Asia: India (9 per cent of all imports), China (6 per cent), South Korea (6 per cent) and Pakistan (5 per cent).
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• The USA remains the world’s largest exporter of military equipment, accounting for 30 per cent of global arms exports in 2006–10. During this period, 44 per cent of US deliveries went to Asia and Oceania, 28 per cent to the Middle East and 19 per cent to Europe, said the same source.