China's Norinco Stepping Up Arms Sales in Africa

 The South China Morning Post published on 16 May 2025 an article titled "Chinese Defence Firm Strikes Arms Deal with Nigeria, Deepening Ties with West Africa" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

A Chinese company, most likely Norinco, recently signed a deal with Nigeria for producing ammunition domestically.  Norinco has been expanding its arms sales across Africa, taking advantage of Russia's preoccupation with Ukraine and a Western pull back from Africa.  

China-Nigeria Ammunition Production Deal

 Africa Equity Media published on 7 May 2025 an article titled "China Deepens Military Footprint in Africa with Landmark Nigeria Deal" by Faith Nyasuguta.  

China's NORINCO signed a MOU with the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria to product military grade ammunition locally and service military equipment.  The initiative underscores China's goal to become a key security partner with Nigeria and Africa generally.  

How Arms from China and Other Countries Fuel South Sudan's Civil War

The London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR) organization published in November 2018 a major report titled "Weapon Supplies into South Sudan's Civil War: Regional Re-transfers and International Intermediaries."

While weapons originated in numerous countries, China accounts for 37 percent of the weapons and more than 99 percent of the ammunition circulating in South Sudan since 2014 as documented by the CAR. The CAR found no evidence that China supplied directly or indirectly weapons or ammunition to the SPLA since May 2014.

For a summary of the report, see an article in Foreign Policy dated 29 November 2018 titled "How European and Chinese Arms Diverted to South Sudan Fueled Its Civil War" by Robbie Gramer.

Diversion of Arms from Peacekeepers in Sudan and South Sudan

The Small Arms Survey published in July 2015 a detailed report titled "Under Attack and Above Scrutiny? Arms and Ammunition Diversion from Peacekeepers in Sudan and South Sudan, 2002-14" by Eric G. Berman and Mihaela Racovita.  It is the first independent review of weapons lost in peacekeeper operations.

There were more than 100 attacks on peacekeepers in Sudan and South Sudan between 2005 and 2014.  At least half of them resulted in the loss of arms and ammunition, most of them in the Darfur region. 

South Sudan: Documenting Manufacturer of Small Arms Ammunition

The Small Arms Survey released on 24 July 2014 a brief report on small arms ammunition titled "Small Arms Ammunition Documented at Bentiu Mosque, May 2014" that it attributed to the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO).  Manufacturer markings correspond with manufacturers in China, Czechosolovakia (before the breakup), Russia, Sudan, and the Soviet Union (before the breakup). 

The Small Arms Survey was not able to explain how the ammunition reached the SPLM-IO because of the constant circulation of ammunition between opposing and allied forces in South Sudan and Sudan and because many forces have previously shared the same ammunition providers.