A new CAR report reveals how decades-old state-issued weapons—many diverted from national stockpiles—are fuelling Salafi-jihadist insurgencies in the central Sahel, exposing the enduring danger of legacy arms left to fester in unstable regions.

Conflict Armament Research’s Stray Bullets report exposes how diverted state ammunition fuels Salafi jihadist insurgencies in the Sahel, urging improved stockpile management and global cooperation to stem the flow of illicit arms.

On Sunday 5 June, a large group of fighters armed with AK-47s arrived on motorbikes and opened fire on multiple villages in Nigeria’s Kaduna state. As the inhabitants mobilised to repel the attack, a helicopter engaged in airstrikes against them, providing cover for the attackers. As of Thursday morning, locals count 45 people killed and 120 people injured.