Drawing on first-hand testimony from asylum seekers fleeing Ethiopia, Sudan and Afghanistan, this report examines how armed violence and international arms transfers, including UK exports, intersect with displacement, small boat crossings and the lived realities of Britain’s asylum system.

The UK’s retreat from aid and surge in defence spending marks a historic reversal, with funds once tied to humanitarian relief now redirected towards military ends, arguably leaves fragile states, particularly in Africa, exposed to deeper instability and preventable loss of life.