Contents
- UN meeting on small arms, Brazzaville
- UN Register of Conventional Arms
- Training small arms researchers
Great Lakes: Conflict not Compatible with Peace, Security and Stability
To launch the preparatory process for an international conference on peace, security and democracy for the Great Lakes region, representatives of the six “core” countries in the region, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, embarked on a two-day meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU).
The conference brought together AU and UN officials dealing with the Great Lakes region. The special representative of the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for the Great Lakes region, Ibrahima Fall, and the AU special envoy to the Great Lakes, Keli Walibuta, co-chaired the opening session, which was officially opened by an assistant minister in Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Joab Omino.
The essential objective of this first focal point meeting of the core countries of the region, was “to lay the political framework and determine a programme of work and a plan of action for the preparatory process of the international conference,” according to a statement issued from Fall’s office.
A calendar of activities was established, leading to two summits on peace and development in the Great Lakes region, the first one scheduled for June 2004. Fall said NGOs and civil society representatives would participate in the preparatory process for the summits. They would be incorporated into national preparatory committees of the six countries in the region, he said. Before the June 2004 summit, three regional preparatory committee meetings would be held, as well as a series of meetings at regional level.
Keli Walibuta, AU Special Representative to the Great Lakes, described the two-day meeting as the proverbial one step in the journey of a thousand miles, alluding to a Chinese proverb. The representatives of the six countries would be referred to as national coordinators, participants agreed in a report that was unanimously adopted at the end of the meeting.
“The international conference is a process with three stages”, Fall said. “The first stage is the one between the preparatory process between now and the first summit in June 2004, the second stage would be the holding of the first and the second summits, and the third stage will be the implementation of the process.”
Omino told delegates that global cooperation to sustain peace in the Great Lakes was necessary and should “include poverty eradication, promotion of democracy, regional support of peace efforts and prevention of armed conflicts and disarmament”.
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He said the region’s political actors should ensure that democracy took root in the region in order to prevent conflicts and the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons.
“While addressing the crisis, we need to focus on practical and concrete measures such as collection, safe storage and destruction of arms,” he said.
Mr Fall pleaded with the international community to support efforts by the region’s countries to secure peace, avoid conflicts and cultivate democracy. He said the goal of the conference would be to come up with a Marshal Plan on security and development for the region, which represents the epicentre of Africa.
Omino called for the collection, safe storage and destruction of arms to adequately address violence in the region. He also said that poverty eradication is imperative noting the large economic inequalities created by friction.
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Endnote:
Irin, 23 June 2003 and The Daily Nation (Kenya), 24 June 2003.
Small Arms in Demand
Taya Weiss
Strategies to curb armed conflict at the national, regional, and international level tend to focus on regulating the manufacture and supply of guns rather than trying to address factors that cause a perceived need for them. If supply-side regulation fails, a humanitarian crisis may be the next intervention. In between assembly line and open conflict, however, there is a wide range of largely untested interventions that fall outside of the traditional scope of defence and foreign affairs. Community-based organisations have filled the safety gap by targeting the demand side of the weapons market and facilitating education, mediation, and youth alternatives. A dialogue between local realities and policy-level rhetoric is opening up as the international community searches for ways to stop gun proliferation and break cycles of violence. New forms of human security may emerge as a result.
Many communities who are struggling to stay afloat in Africa’s conflict zones live without the benefit of a clear government presence or effective security force. Geographically, economically, and politically, these communities are isolated not only from basic resource management, but also from the safety that membership in the nation-state and its implied social contract is meant to provide. Standards of control over small arms proliferation that assume the infrastructure and resources of wealthy nations as a baseline are ineffective but widespread. Left with few realistic alternatives to violence, civilians in conflict zones are both perpetrators and victims of armed conflict; but they are also, by necessity if not choice, peacekeepers.
The reduction of demand for weapons has been a difficult area to prioritise precisely because it is so far-reaching and complex. Factors influencing demand include state-level security failure, wide availability of guns, mobilisation of populations based on age, status, and ethnicity, civil conflict, systemic violence, and gun culture. From a demand perspective, weapons (and the crises they contribute to) cease to be the focus of intervention. Instead, the focus turns to gun users and seeks to influence the buyers in the market, in addition to regulating suppliers and enforcing relevant laws. Positive demand-based interventions start with a shift in focus from short-term emergency response to long-term strategies. They include measures that address education and childhood development, promote social cohesion, support high-risk groups, break cycles of violence, and implement socio-economic change.
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Mainstreaming demand reduction measures brings the problem of small arms proliferation into areas previously thought to be outside the debate. It breaks gun-fuelled, conflict-related problems out of traditional defence and foreign affairs areas and brings them under the lens of traditionally ‘humanitarian’ concerns. It also lifts the burden of crime and violence prevention from its usually exclusive seat in policing and brings it to the broader, more powerful level of governance. Further research on the effectiveness of demand-based control must begin with a dialogue between local communities already engaging in such measures and national structures struggling with the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in difficult-to-reach areas. The Institute for Security Studies is currently engaged in research in Kenya that will profile the efforts of community-based groups in five conflict zones.
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Kenya Destroys Arms on Third Anniversary of Nairobi Declaration
Nelson Alusala
The scourge of small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation in Eastern Africa is a reality and should be vigorously addressed, sooner than later. This clearly emerged during the third anniversary of the signing of the Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa, commemorated on 15 March 2003 in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Alusala, standing by the pile of Illicit small arms.
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During the event, the Kenyan government organized a public symbolic ceremony for the destruction of 7,227 illegal small arms confiscated by Kenyan security forces. Of these, 1,000 arms were publicly burnt, while the remaining 6,227 were destroyed mechanically using a mobile hydraulic shears unit donated to Kenya by the British Government during the ceremony. The machine known as Eurocruncher cuts the weapons into scrap pieces. As the pile of weapons went up in flames, victims of small arms violence recounted their experiences to the gathering of dignitaries, government officials, civil society and the public, who had gathered to witness the event, presided over by Kenya’s Vice President, Kijana Wamalwa.
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The pile of 1 000 small arms ablaze at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.
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Various speakers alluded to the fact that a combination of factors, such as poverty and disparity, selective arming of ethnic groups, unstable governments and large deposits of untapped natural resources, have exacerbated the proliferation of illicit small arms in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa Region.
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Kenya's vice president, Hon Kijana Wamalwa (left), being presented with the Eurocruncher (hydraulic shears) by the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Sir Edward Clay, during the ceremony at Uhuru Gardens. Looking on is Hon Chris Murungaru, Kenya's Minister for Security.
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The Nairobi Declaration is a comprehensive effort by 10 countries of Eastern Africa: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Eritrea, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Ethiopia, which fully share the international concern that the easy availability of small arms fuels conflict. These weapons also undermine political stability and have a devastating impact on human and state security.
The implementation of the regional agenda for action of the Nairobi Declaration is the prerogative of the Nairobi Secretariat. One major step forward has been the establishment of the National Focal Points (NFP) in the 10 member countries, each with the primary function of dealing with each country’s unique problems of the proliferation of small arms.
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Trucks loaded with the remaining 6 227 illicit arms, waiting to be sheared mechanically.
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The Kenya National Focal Point (KNFP) incorporates additional issues into its work, including:
- Peace-building and conflict management, which encompass capacity building, reconciliation and a peace making and documentation programme.
- Community policing, which involves training the Kenya Police and Administration Police on how to relate to the public on firearms issues.
In March 2003, the ministers in charge of defence and security in the three East African countries (Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) signed of a multilateral Cross Boarder Security Agreement. The agreement seeks to address, among other security measures, cattle rustling within the three states, the reduction of crime along the borders and the proliferation of small arms.
SARPCCO Workshop on Marking and Tracing of Firearms and Disposal of State-Owned Firearms
In April 2003, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) facilitated the first Southern African Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO) workshop on “Regional Standards for the Marking, Tracing and Record-keeping of Firearms and Disposal of State-Owned Firearms”. The workshop took place in Harare, Zimbabwe and formed part of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) implementation strategy for the Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and other Related Materials in the SADC Region. The holding of the workshop was mandated by the Chiefs of Police at the SARPCCO 7th Annual General Meeting and was in line with the approved SARPCCO Action Plan on the SADC Protocol.
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Senior Assistant Commissioner Masango, Chairman of the SARPCCO Legal Sub-Committee and Mr K. Kapinga, the Head of the Interpol Sub Regional Bureau welcomed participants on behalf of the Commissioner of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
It was highlighted that firearms were contributing to the general rise in violent criminal activities in the region and that it was therefore important for participants to come up with practical strategies and resolutions that would strengthen regional police efforts especially with regard to the tracing and marking of firearms. It was agreed that what was needed was a system whereby:
- Information could be easily exchanged across national boundaries;
- Marking systems or codes could be mutually agreed to;
- A particular national agency would be responsible for sending and receiving and responding to requests;
- Manufacturers, exporters and importers would be required to regularly submit their records to the national government.
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Participants felt that the SADC Protocol and other recommendations, practices and standards, such as the UN Programme of Action on Preventing, Combating and Eradicating the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, needed to be translated into practical regulations and measures that can be implemented by member countries at a national level. In this way, relevant authorities can trace sources, supply routes, and diversion points of small arms in a co-operative manner and with the effectiveness and efficiency that the struggle against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons deserves.
After discussion and deliberation by the 37 participants from SARPCCO member countries, a set of recommendations was adopted. These have been forwarded to the Southern African Chiefs of Police for consideration at the next Annual General Meeting later in 2003.
Final Recommendations of the First SARPCCO Workshop on Regional Standards for
the Marking, Tracing and Record Keeping of Firearms and Disposal of State-Owned Firearms
This workshop, after considering the aspects of the SADC Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and other Related Material (hereafter referred to as the SADC Protocol) in relation to Marking, Tracing, Record Keeping and Disposal of State-Owned Firearms as well as the current situation in each State Party:
CONFIRMS the commitment of participants to the practical implementation of the relevant provisions of the SADC Protocol with respect to Marking, Tracing, Record Keeping and Disposal of State-owned Firearms.1
CONFIRMS the commitment of participants to the implementation of other relevant international instruments.
CONFIRMS the participants support for the work of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on Tracing Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons and looks forward to their report on the feasibility of establishing an international instrument to enable States to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons in a timely and reliable manner which will be submitted to the 58th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
This Workshop:
- RECOMMENDS that at the time of manufacture or import, each firearm should in addition to the make, calibre, model number type, be marked, in an unique alphanumeric code, that provides, at a minimum, the country of manufacture, the name of the manufacturer, the year of manufacture, and the serial number, and, where possible, the intended destination.
1.1. SUPPORTS the proposed marking system as specified in Article 9 of the SADC Protocol and in particular the location of markings on the barrel, frame and, where applicable the slide.
1.2. An example of a recommended marking is:
ZA1958123400000001MAU
Country Code, e.g. ZA = South Africa
YEAR of Manufacture, e.g. 1958
Manufacturer or factory code, e.g.1234 = Smith Pty Ltd
Serial number, e.g. 00000001
Country of Destination, e.g. Mau = Mauritius
- RECOMMENDS that State Parties prohibit any transfer of unmarked firearms from, and into, their territory. Firearms that are not marked should be confiscated and subjected to further investigation.
- RECOMMENDS that the Legal sub-committee of SARPCCO develop Standard Operating Procedures for the import and export of firearms.
- RECOMMENDS that State Parties ensure that at the time of transfer of a firearm from government stocks to operational use appropriate markings are emplaced.
- RECOMMENDS that the marking technique most resistant to sanitization such as stamping, punching and engraving be used and that the depth of molecular disruption be such that any attempt to erase the marking will result in irreparable damage to the firearm.
- RECOMMENDS that State Parties ensure that records of all information in relation to firearms, their parts, components and ammunition that is necessary to trace and identify such items are kept in a central register, and to keep such records for as long as possible in a manner that allows for prompt retrieval.
- RECOMMENDS that State Parties who have not yet computerized their record keeping systems, do so as soon as possible.
7.1. RECOMMENDS that State Parties, in a position to do so, assist other State Parties in the development of computerised and centralised record-keeping systems that can be linked and which maintain records of all firearms at each stage of their existence (manufacture, distribution, transfer, possession, storage and destruction).
- URGES State Parties that have not yet established a National Contact/Focal point or competent authority responsible for the sending, receiving and responding to requests from other State Parties on the illicit manufacture, transit and use of firearms and so assist in being able to trace sources, supply routes, and diversion points of firearms in a co-operative manner, to do as soon as possible as required in Article 14 (4) of the SADC Protocol.
- URGES State Parties to co-operate internationally in order to enable relevant authorities to trace sources, supply routes and diversion points of illicit firearms in a timely and reliable manner.
- URGES State Parties to adhere to the provisions of Article 10, 11 (1) and 12 of the SADC Protocol regarding the destruction and disposal of surplus, redundant and obsolete State-owned, confiscated or unlicensed and voluntary surrendered firearms respectively.
- RECOMMENDS that State Parties in a position to do so, assist each other in the destruction and disposal of surplus, redundant and obsolete State-Owned, confiscated or unlicensed and voluntary surrendered firearms.
It is further recommended that the SARPCCO Secretariat:
- UNDERTAKES an investigation into the resource needs of State Parties to implement the marking, record-keeping, tracing and disposal requirements of the SADC Protocol and to assist in the procurement of such resources.
- HOLDS consultations with the Permanent Co-ordinating Committee, and other sub-committees on these recommendations.
- DEVELOPS training workshops for those who will implement and operationalise these recommendations and those of the approved action plan for the implementation of the SADC Protocol.
1 Firearm means (a) any portable lethal weapon that expels or is designed to expel, a shot, bullet, or projectile by the action of burning propellant, excluding antique firearms or their replicas that are not subject to authorization in the respective State Parties
(b) Any device which may be readily converted into a weapon referred in paragraph (a)
(c) Any small arm as defined in Article 1 of the SADC Protocol
(d) Any light weapon as defined in Article 1 of the SADC Protocol.
Southern Sudan: Child Soldiers or Armed Civilians?
Angela McIntyre
In 2002, under a demobilisation programme carried out by Save the Children-Sweden, 562 child soldiers in southern Sudan were released and reunited with their families. This was the first of a series of demobilizations of children who form part of various civil defence organisations charged with protecting communities and their resources in the region. These are not children directly involved in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), or any “regular” armed force, but rather armed child civilians. According to the non-binding Cape Town Principles on the Prevention of Recruitment of Children into the Armed Forces and Demobilization and Social Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Africa, child soldiers are defined as:
Any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and those accompanying such groups, other than purely as family members. It includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and forced marriage. It does not, therefore, only refer to a child who is carrying or has carried arms.
Civil defence forces arguably fall into the category of “irregular forces” in this instance, as they did in the case of Sierra Leone’s Civil Defence Forces demobilized under the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). Most of the members of South Sudan’s ‘white army’, as they have come to be known, have little or no recollection or experience of a non-violent life, having grown up in the throes of a civil war that has endured two decades.
Arild Skedsmo, a UNICEF child protection officer working with Operation Lifeline in Sudan argues that the situation of these children is a serious one. The lines between civilians and the military are all but erased, and the latter has become something of a ‘social institution’ that replaces more conventional children’s caretakers, particularly for unaccompanied children who have lost their families through separation and violence. White army members engage in fighting against regular armed forces, militia groups and cattle raiders. They are thus exposed to many of the same threats and human rights violations as any other child solders. They are targets for enemy fighting and bombardments, participate in violence and are deprived of basic rights to health care, nutrition and learning.2
Arms proliferation in the region has fuelled conflict and destabilized communities, promoting further demand for small arms and light weapons, which are seen as necessary for self-defence from raids and attacks. They also give young people a sense of empowerment and opportunity where life choices are few. According to Skedsmo, the strategic requirements of a successful programme for disarming children and youth revolve around alternatives to gun culture: after disarmament, education and vocational training. In addition communities must reach consensus on issues such as exchanging weapons for community services, including improved schooling facilities and bore holes, as well as having ownership over the implementation and monitoring of disarmament programmes.
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"... the situation of these children in a serious one. The lines between civilians and the military are all but erased, and the latter has become something of a 'social institution' that replaces more conventional children's caretakers, particularly for unaccompanied children who have lost their families through separation and violence."
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2 Arild Skedsmo, presentation at UNICEF workshop "Disarming Children and Youth: Raising Awareness and Addressing the Impact of Small Arms" held in Accra, September 2002.
New Legislation in South Africa: Update
Firearms Control Act
The final draft regulations of the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000) are in the process of being completed.
There are, however, questions being raised around key issues within the Act and regulations. Those include:
- Determining the competency of an applicant to carry a weapon and the grounds upon which a police official will base such a determination,
- Record-keeping requirements
- Including new technology for marking firearms
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There has been a positive approach to establishing a process that is both sound in principle and practical in approach and implementation.
The new Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000) has made a powerful instrument available to the South African Police Service, who is in charge of its implementation, and could be very effective if implemented successfully.
The Firearms Control Act is available on the South African Police Service website: www.saps.org.za
National Conventional Arms Control Act
The South African government passed the National Conventional Arms Control Act in 2002. This marked the beginning of a new era for the regulation of South Africa’s conventional arms sales. In the 1980s, at the height of international sanctions, South Africa concluded arms sales with various countries. With the country’s democratic elections in 1994, South Africa’s foreign policy changed dramatically and issues of transparency and accountability acquired new meaning. Consistent with South Africa’s new foreign policy objectives, within Africa and beyond, it was necessary to devise new regulatory mechanisms for arms transfers.
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The new Act puts into law the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, which operates at Cabinet level. This committee ensures compliance with the policy of the government in respect of arms control. Namely, it:
- ensures the implementation of a legitimate, effective and transparent control process;
- fosters national and international confidence in the control procedures and provides for an inspectorate to ensure trade compliance;
- provides criteria to be used when assessing applications, including consideration of human rights, fundamental freedoms and adherence to international treaties and agreements; and
- ensures proper accountability in the trade and export of conventional arms through annual public reports and quarterly reports to a specialised parliamentary committee.
The Act reveals the extent to which government is committed to controlling arms transfers, especially in the contemporary era of anti-terrorist campaigns in which weapons may land in the wrong hands. Despite having an arms industry, South Africa has become a leader on arms control and weapons of mass destruction issues.
Information on South Africa’s arms transfers for 2000/2001 can be found on the Department of Defence website: www.mil.za/Secretaryfor Defence/Frame/Frame.htm
Small arms control measures Implementation Updates
- United Nations Seminar on Small Arms
- UN Register of Conventional Arms
- Training small arms researchers
United Nations Seminar on Small Arms
In May 2003, the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa held a two-day seminar on Implementing the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. A report of the seminar is available on the UN Department of Disarmament Affairs website (disarmament.un.org)
UN Register of Conventional Arms
In 2002, the UN General Assembly passed resolution 57/75 which requested that a group of governmental experts review the UN Register of Conventional Arms. Member States of the United Nations report annually to the UN on transfers of weapons in seven categories, including tanks, large-calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft and missiles and missile launchers. To date, 164 countries have participated in the Register, although only one third of African countries provide reports to the UN. The experts’ group will meet three times in 2003 in order for a report to be submitted to the General Assembly later in the year.
Training small arms researchers
The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation in Malawi and the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa held a workshop from 10-12 February in Lilongwe, Malawi. The workshop aimed to develop a strategy for building research capacity on small arms issues in Africa. The objectives of the workshop were to identify:
- Research areas and needs among researchers in Africa
- Means of building skills in researching small arms issues
- Ways of developing a network of African researchers working on small arms issues
- Potential research projects
The workshop also assisted in developing an agenda for a training workshop for small arms researchers held in late May 2003. Reports of the workshops are available from the ISS.
Contact Details
P O Box 3243, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251 151 3822 Fax: +251 151 9321
email: oau-ews@telecom.net.et
This newsletter is funded by the donors of the Arms Management Programme at the Institute for Security Studies, including the governments of Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
ISS Arms Management Programme,
P O Box 1787, Brooklyn Square, Pretoria 0075.
Tel: +27 12 346 9500 Fax: +27 12 460 0998
email: iss@iss.org.za
Visit the ISS website www.issafrica.org
For more information on small arms issues in Africa:
- UN Department of Disarmament Affairs - disarmament.un.org
- UN Develop Programme Small Arms Reduction - www.undp.org
- UN Regional Centre for Peace and Security in Africa - www.unrec.org
- International Action Network on Small Arms - www.iansa.org
Recent publications
The ISS has recently published a CD-ROM that compiles regional and international agreements and initiatives on conventional arms in Africa. Copies are available by request through Khulani Qoma, Communications Officer.
Monographs
Policing the Ports: Reducing Illicit Trafficking in South Africa
Sustaining the Peace in Angola
Africa’s Young Soldiers
Sierra Leone: Building the Road to Recovery
All publications are available on the ISS website or can be ordered from the ISS.
Photo credits: Patrick O'Leary, Managing Editor, Fleetwatch, Kenya visuals - ISS.
Design and production: Image Design • Printing: Cedilla
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