Appendix 5

Assistance Programmes for Tackling Light Weapons Proliferation in Southern Africa*

Janee Rambocus

Published in Towards implementation of the Southern African Regional Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit trafficking

8-9 September 1999
Pretoria, South Africa

Seminar report

edited by Andrew McLean and Elizabeth Clegg

Introduction


There is a growing recognition of the problem of illicit trafficking in arms (particularly light arms) and the associated negative effects on the prospects for long-term peace, security and development in Southern Africa. The urgent need to tackle the proliferation of light arms has been acknowledged by countries in the region, as well as internationally. The issue of light weapons proliferation has risen high on the agenda of national governments and regional institutions such as the South African Development Community (SADC) and the Southern African Regional Police Commissioners Co-ordinating Organisation (SARPCCO) as evidenced by, for example, the recent SARPCCO summit declaration on small arms in July 1999.

Since agreement on the EU Programme in June 1997 the EU has increasingly, focussed its attention on identifying ways of working in partnership with countries in affected regions to control arms flows and their availability. The recognition within the Southern Africa region of the nature and extent of the problem of light weapons proliferation together with a demonstrable willingness to take action has encouraged the EU to explore co-operation with Southern African governments on this issue. The development of a Southern African regional action programme on light arms and illicit trafficking which emerged from a seminar hosted by ISS (South Africa) and Saferworld (UK) in May 1998 represented a major step forward. This programme was given high-level approval by EU and Southern African Foreign Ministers at their meeting in November 1998.

Despite this level of commitment there have been, in fact, few projects undertaken which have directly targeted the issue of light weapons proliferation, such as support for weapons collection initiatives or technical assistance around marking and registering of light weapons. More encouragingly, however, there are a number of programmes which are supported by European Member States that have an indirect impact on the availability of light weapons e.g. assistance for community policing and judicial or military reform. There is, therefore, significant scope for further developing EU assistance, in partnership with Southern African countries, at the regional and national levels in order to meet the needs and priorities of the SADC Member States.

This briefing paper aims to outline current assistance given by Northern government’s which either directly or indirectly seeks to tackle light weapons proliferation in Southern Africa. By outlining these initiatives which are in existence, the aim is to show the potential for future engagement and to encourage synergy and co-operation amongst such programmes. Saferworld is grateful for the assistance of government officials who provided information in the following areas1:
  • Support for strengthening controls and regulations on the possession and trade in arms

  • Support for strengthening licensing and monitoring systems for commercial arms dealers

  • Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military

  • Support for the establishment of national or regional databases, communication and monitoring systems

  • Support for arms seizure/collection initiatives and methods of storing/destroying surplus weapons

  • Support for demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants

  • Support for voluntary weapons collection programmes

  • Support to civil society groups in the region to raise public awareness of small arms problems.
Germany

Support for arms seizure/collection initiatives and methods of storing/destroying surplus weapons
  • Support for a project in Mozambique to collect small arms for destruction in exchange for items of practical daily use. The project is operated by Dienste in Ubersee in co-operation with the Mozambican Christian Council.
Support for demobilistation and reintegration of ex-combatants

Germany is carrying out several projects in Mozambique aimed at reintegrating ex-combatants and refugees back into the community. In order to increase the likelihood of success the projects take an integrated approach and the local population is consulted. Some of these projects include:
  • Provision of small-scale credits to returning female refugees to facilitate their reintegration into the community by assisting them in starting up their own business. Germany has provided DM 3.4 million for this project which has been integrated into the Manica Rural Reconstruction Programme, which received a total of DM 19.1 million.

  • Integration of demobilised soldiers into the economic and social reconstruction process through support for small-scale projects that provide income and employment opportunities (DM 15 million).

  • Support for a reintegration and reconstruction programme in Sofala (DM 14 million).
In Angola, support is provided for a project to reintegrate ex-combatants and internally displaced persons (DM 8 million, 1997-99). Advisory services have been provided to the Angolan Ministry of Social Affairs and the Institute for the Reintegration of Ex-Combatants to assist in the development and implementation of reintegration programmes for the above groups. Germany also supports the reintegration fund for small-scale socio-economic measures. However, due to the resumption of civil war in the winter 1998/9, the programme is currently concentrating on the internally displaced persons and comprises elements of emergency aid.

The Netherlands

Dutch assistance has been provided only on a very limited scale to programmes aimed at tackling arms proliferation in Southern Africa for two main reasons: i) The Netherland’s conflict management programme focuses on West Africa (Sierra Leone and Liberia); the Great Lakes region (Ruanda, Burundi and DRC); and Sudan. ii) The Government has not received many concrete project proposals on tackling small arms in Southern Africa.

Support for demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants
  • Funding for an ILO/UNDP project in Angola to provide vocational training and promote micro-enterprise for demobilised soldiers between 1996-1998.

  • Support for a UNDP/UNOPS project in Angola for the National Programme for Reintegration Counseling and Referral Services between 1996-7.

  • Support for a demobilisation project in Mozambique.
Other projects
  • Support for an ISS project in Southern Africa: Towards collaborative peace: Regional efforts to contain the proliferation of light weapons in Southern Africa.
UK

Support for strengthening controls and regulations on the possession and trade in arms
  • Support through the ISS to develop Legislation on the ownership and control of firearms and ammunition in South Africa. At the request of the South African drafting team, a Home Office official will be in Pretoria to discuss the draft fire arms legislation.

  • Provision of a Safety and Security know-how fund with South Africa’s National Secretariat, police service and the Independent Complaints Directorate to assist with training, skills transfer, and with strategic support for the implementation of the White Paper on Safety and Security.
Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military
  • Support for community policing and civilian oversight of the police in Free State, Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.

  • Assisting, since 1994, in the transformation of the various South African armed forces into a New Defence Force through the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT). The team currently consists of 15 personnel and its mandate has been extended to April 2001.

  • Assistance in preparing a long-term strategic development plan for the Royal Lesotho Mounted Police. The Police Development Project has been running for approximately 3 years. Initially it comprised 2 elements: i) setting up a Police Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs to separate the police from the executive ii) preparing a police development plan which would help turn the police force into a service appropriate for a democratic society.

  • Support for police and customs training in Malawi, which also involves judicial and prison reform.

  • Assisting the Royal Swaziland Police Force to produce a force strategy and development plan and, further, assisting in the implementation of this development in order to turn the police force into a community based service which is able to respond to the needs of the community.

  • Assistance to the Botswana Police in developing an effective and modern police service. The emphasis is on changing the organisation and style of policing away from enforcement to the development of a community service. Recently the emphasis has also been on extending outreach and responding to the needs of vulnerable groups.
Other projects
  • Funding for Saferworld-ISS seminar Developing controls of light arms and illicit trafficking in May 1998.

  • Funding for current seminar Implementing the Southern African Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit Trafficking.
Denmark

Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military
  • Assistance totalling DKr 50 million for upgrading the physical infrastructure of Mozambique’s court system, as well as providing human resources and support for legal reform.

  • Support for military co-operation in Southern Africa has been provided by the Danish Government through technical assistance and DKr 19 million in funding to help with the development of a Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre in Harare.

  • Funding for a Defence Management Programme at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa which serves the entire SADC region. This programme targets mid-level leaders from both civilian and military organisations.
Finland

Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military
  • Assistance for the reintegration of demobilised soldiers through the UNDP in Angola and Mozambique, providing FM 10 million from 1996-98. Also assistance for the reintegration of demobilised soldiers in Mozambique in the early 1990s, committing funds of FM 13 million.
Support for demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants
  • Supporting the SADC Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre. Five peacekeeping trainers have been sent from the Finnish Ministry of Defence to assist on the military side. One representative from the Finnish Ministry of Interior is assisting on the civilian-policing side.
Other projects
  • Funding for current seminar Implementing the Southern African Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit Trafficking.
Sweden

Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military
  • Financing has been provided by the Swedish Government for human rights training for police and other state officials in South Africa at both state and provincial level.

  • Financing of education programmes for paralegals in South Africa, as well as support for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Belgium

Other projects
  • Belgium hosted a Saferworld seminar on the implementation of the EU Programme on 30th November – 1st December.

  • In October 1998, Belgium organised a conference on Sustainable disarmament for sustainable development, which resulted with a ‘Brussels Call for Action.’
Spain

Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military
  • Assistance for the reorganisation of the Mozambican Police along the line of the Spanish Civil Guard Model. This 3 year project has involved 30 members of the Spanish Civil Guard who work at the Police Academy training future academy staff.
Switzerland

Other projects
  • Support for two projects in Southern Africa run by the ISS: Towards collaborative peace: Regional efforts to contain the proliferation of light weapons in Southern Africa and The implementation of the towards collaborative peace: Improving regional governance process for the containment of illicit arms trafficking in Southern Africa.

Annex


Name
Address
Date

Dear

Re: Seminar on ‘Implementing the Southern African Regional Action Programme on Light Arms and Illicit Trafficking: A Consultation’

A few days ago you should have received a letter of invitation to a seminar which is being organised by Saferworld and the Institute for Security Studies (South Africa). The seminar will be held over two days in Pretoria, South Africa on 8th and 9th September (and will be followed by an official EU-SADC meeting on the 10th). It will involve representatives of Southern African governments and organisations, representatives of EU Member States and other donor governments, and the EU Commission. It is hoped that the seminar will lead to the implementation of the EU-SADC Action Programme on light arms and illicit trafficking which emerged from a seminar involving EU and Southern African officials in May 1998.

In advance of the proposed seminar, Saferworld is gathering information on donor-sponsored efforts to tackle the twin problems of small arms proliferation and illicit arms trafficking at local, national and regional levels across Southern Africa. As a result, we should be very grateful if you could inform us of any involvement on the part of your Ministry or government in this regard. We hope to compile a picture of where donor governments are currently targeting assistance to tackle arms proliferation in Southern Africa, either directly or indirectly.

For example, we would welcome information on any assistance which your government has provided for the following purposes:
  1. The strengthening of national controls and regulations on the possession and trade in arms, or in the strengthening or co-ordination of such regulations regionally;

  2. The strengthening of national licensing and monitoring systems for commercial arms dealers and brokers;

  3. Training or support for police, customs, border guards or the military which would serve to enhance their capacity to investigate and tackle arms trafficking or the illegal possession of guns;

  4. The establishment or enhancement of national or regional databases, communication and monitoring systems for controlling cross border and internal movements of weapons, or assistance for the establishment of national or regional inter-agency co-ordination groups (e.g. in co-operation with Interpol);

  5. Support for arms seizure/collection initiatives (e.g. Operations Rachel) and methods of storing or destroying surplus weapons;

  6. Programmes for the demobilisation or reintegration of ex-combatants, perhaps in connection with the UN or other international agencies;

  7. Programmes for voluntary weapons collection or in exchange for food, currency or other, and efforts to reduce the local demand for weapons or tackle cultures of violence.

  8. Assistance to civil society groups in the region to raise public awareness of small arms problems.
Thank you, in advance, for your assistance in this matter. We plan to have a draft report available at the seminar in September. We hope that you are able to attend, but in the event that this is not possible we shall ensure that you receive a copy of the final report.

My colleague Janee Rambocus will call you in the next few days to discuss this with you.

With best wishes

Notes

* Prepared for the Saferworld/Institute for Security Studies Seminar, Towards Implementation of the Southern African Action Programme.
  1. See annex for a copy of the letter sent to government officials. (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).