Morocco 2nd Biggest Buyer of French Weapons in Africa

Morocco was the second African purchaser of French armaments in 2016, behind Egypt and ahead of Algeria. The kingdom spent EUR 127 million on French weapons, according to a new report by the French Ministry of Armies presented to the Parliament.

The report, submitted to the French Parliament in July, shows that North African countries collectively spent about MAD 253.9 million on French arms and military equipment last year, compared to only MAD 111.8 million in 2015.

In 2016, France sold a total of EUR 11.69 million of military equipment worldwide, a lower amount compared to 2015 in which Paris had pocketed EUR 14.32 billion.

With EUR 127 million spent on military equipment, Morocco is leading the North African list, spending EUR 19 million more than Algeria and EUR 104 million more than Tunisia. In Africa, most of the French arms sales in 2016 were destined for Egypt, amounting to EUR 1.3 billion.

Since 2012, deliveries to Morocco have reached EUR 655.2 million against 212 million for Algeria. The two countries are, along with Egypt, the main purchasers of French armaments on the continent. The report also notes that Morocco was the 10th largest buyer of French armaments in the world from 2007 to 2016.

The kingdom also leads the list of military equipments’ orders. In 2016, Morocco ordered EUR 89.9 million worth of weaponry from France, compared to EUR 63.7 million by Algeria. Since 2012, Morocco’s orders totaled EUR 800.7 million, compared to EUR 295.5 million for the eastern neighbor and EUR 23.7 million for Tunisia.

Last year, however, Egypt made the largest orders in Africa with a total of EUR 623.9 million euros. In sub-Saharan Africa, Botswana leads the way with EUR 304.2 million.

Source: BNA