In reality, these weapons have been a major source of insecurity in the area as they are used in raids and counter raids within and across national borders that the governments in the region might not be able to control save by deploying their combined militaries along the borders. For Kenya, the entire northern belt is a security nightmare. A number of Africa's major conflicts have been funded through illegal trade in some of the natural resources. Thus, in the DRC, in Sierra Leone and in Angola, diamond and gold mines, oil fields and even forests are always a major prize for any side of the conflict. With all its diamonds and oil and relatively small population, Angola ought to be one of the richest countries in Africa.
Mineral wealth is often both the reason and the means for some of the long-running conflicts.
Fighters on all sides benefit from the mineral wealth while arms merchants are only too happy to keep the fighters supplied for a cut of the mineral wealth. In spite of the UN ban on unofficial diamond sales these still find their way to Western capitals. A worrying trend in Africa that is gaining roots is the privatization of security. In its more universal sense, this takes the form of mercenaries who wage wars on behalf of both internal and external actors in African conflicts. In Nairobi, for instance, well organized crime syndicates rival and often outdo the police in their sophistication.