Africa fight against Small Arms and Light Weapons

 

African regional agreements to control the traffic of small arms

Some African regions have adopted regional policies to fight the proliferation of small arms.  These instruments contain very strong references to the need not to transfer arms where they risk being used in breach of international humanitarian law (IHL). These instruments are also legally-binding. 

1. The Bamako Declaration
2. The Nairobi Declaration and the Nairobi Protocol on Small Arms and Light Weapons; 
3. The ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons; 
4. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Related Materials (2001).

1.  The Bamako Declaration

 

The Bamako Declaration adopted by the Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Bamako, Mali, the 1 December 2000.

 

 

The Bamako Declaration on an African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons aims at developing an African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in preparation for the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms.

 

2. Nairobi Declaration and Protocol

On March 15th 2000 Foreign Affairs Ministers from 11 countries from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions signed what is known as the Nairobi Declaration. This is basically a policy document outlining how governments should cooperate to fight the illegal proliferation of small arms. 

In April 2004, 11 countries from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region adopted the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of SALW. Today they are 14 countries and there is a regional secretariat RECSA in Nairobi. 

 

2.1. Commitment of the Churches in the control of small Arms anc light Weapons (SALW) 

In 2003 February, the churches felt the need to engage in the fight against proliferation of small arms saying, "we have a biblical mandate to affirm the fundamental value and dignity of human life." . 

 

A joint CSOs and Nairobi Secretariat Meeting in Kampala November 2004 developed a Communiqué reaffirming the important role of East Africa Action Network on Small Arms as the recognized representative of CSOs to work with the Nairobi Secretariat. The Nairobi Working Group of five regional faith-based organizations (APFO, NCA, AMECEA, FECCLAHA, Pax Christ) came on board as EAANSA members. 

 

"Under this initiative, we have a two-pronged approach – 

* [supporting] our member councils in the border region of Kenya, Uganda and Sudan and their joint community-based projects," 

* regional advocacy to ensure that Nairobi Declaration (15 March 2000) that later became a Protocol is implemented by signatory governments.

 

3. The ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  adopted a landmark binding Convention to reduce armed violence in the sub-region.

The ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms, Light Weapons, their ammunition and other associated material was signed by Heads of State and Government on 14 June 2006 in Abuja (Nigeria). This completes the transformation of the 1998 ECOWAS Moratorium on Light Weapons into a legally-binding instrument.

 

The Moratorium was a voluntary measure adopted by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in 1998. It was the first - and so far only - regional moratorium on the importing, exporting and manufacturing of small arms, and as such was an important first step to addressing the crisis at a regional level. 

Because the Moratorium was voluntary, it had little or no monitoring mechanism. The new Convention has a monitoring and implementation mechanism and is intended to be a permanent commitment to reducing the armed violence that has plagued West Africa.

 

 

4.The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Related Materials (2001)

It aims at preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit manufacturing of firearms and their excessive and destabilising accumulation,trafficking, possession and use in the Region. It promotes and facilitates cooperation and exchange of information.

4. 1.The South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) 

South Africa used to be one of the top arms exporters in the world, and is still prominent. During the Apartheid era, they were known for selling arms to human rights violators. Since 1994, though, Human Rights Watch have pointed out that they have made “remarkable progress … in adopting a set of human rights friendly policies in relation to arms transfers.

 

This policy is called the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). The Conventional Arms Control Bill to implement this policy is still in the works. However, in their 2000 report on South Africa Human Rights Watch pointed out that at the same time, “it believes that the South African government must urgently address the inconsistencies that have emerged between its arms export policies and practices, and deny all human rights abusers its weapons, the tools with which such abuses have been committed.

 

South Africa has a lot of influence in Africa as well, so their use and exports of arms are of particular interest too.