The world we live in is not for kids...

Today, in a conversation about IDF soldiers' rifles, I was told of the Israeli-made "Galil" guns and how they were phased out. Out of curiosity, I asked what became of the used guns. The answer: "Probably sold to Third-World countries."

Whether this is true or not, I stumbled upon an AP wire entitled "Colombia seeks Israelis accused of training death squads" relayed by the Haaretz newspaper. Extract:

Klein, a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli army, appeared in a 1998 video used to train far-right squads. In 1991, he was convicted and fined US$13,400 (10,030) by an Israeli court for selling arms to Colombia's illegal groups.

Klein also spent 16 months in a Sierra Leon prison for his role in a guns for blood diamonds deal.

Those interested can have a look at the section "The Rodriguez Gacha case (Grey Market)" in The role of the “Grey Market” in the context of arms trafficking

Obviously, the movies "Lord of War", on arms trafficking, and "Blood Diamond", on conflict diamonds come to my mind in spite of their flaws as films which give an idea of what happens with guns once sold in conflict zones.

(I reviewed Blood Diamond in an earlier post. I think Lord of Wars is full of clichés, suffers from a bad screenplay and bad photography, but as long as people see it and think about the subject of arms trafficking, I'm happy.)