AU says proliferation of illicit weapons fuels conflicts

Friday, May 16, 2014
By Ronald Njoroge and Christine Lagat

advertisements

NAIROBI, (Xinhua) -- The African Union on Wednesday blamed the cycle of wars on the continent on the easy availability of small arms and light weapons.

African Union Commission Head of Defense and Security Division Tarek Sharif told journalists in Nairobi that the recent conflicts in Mali, Central Africa Republic and South Sudan are a clear indication of the challenge Africa faces.

“What is notable is that in all these cases, small arms and light weapons remain the weapons of choice,” Sharif said during the third meeting of the AU-Regions Steering Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Disarmament.

“Whereas conflicts have various causes including social, economic, cultural and political causes, the easy availability of arms has contributed to groups resorting to armed violence rather than dialogue and negotiations,” he said.

The day-long meeting brought together experts from across Africa who are seeking more synergies to help address proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the continent, ravaged by many conflicts.

The experts are discussing African Union support to its Member States in addressing the problem of small arms and exchange ideas on enhancing synergies in small arms work across the regions on the continent.

The AU official said that light weapons are also used by drug traffickers and groups engaged in various forms of transnational organized crime.

“The complex uses of illicit small arms require close coordination of the continent,” Sharif said. He added that the phenomenon of terrorism is a global threat that has negatively impacted Africa.

“In fact the terror attacks of the militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Shabaab in Somalia and Kenya bear testimony to the seriousness of the threat we face,” he said.

Global concerns over the poorly regulated trade in conventional arms led United Nations member states to negotiate the Arms Trade Treaty in 2013.

To date, 118 UN member states have signed the treaty, 33 of which are AU member states. “However, of the 32 countries that have ratified the agreement, only two are AU member states,” he said.

“We continue to urge all those that have not done so, to sign and ratify the treaty in order to enable its speedy entry into force,” Sharif said.

AUC Defense and Security Expert Peter Omurangi urged AU member states to support initiatives aimed at laying strategies that deny unauthorized individuals and group’s access to arms.

“This calls for sharing of information for purposes of synergy and complementarity,” Omurangi said. AU is currently working on the establishment of an Africa Police Cooperation Mechanism (AFRIPOL).

Regional Center on Small Arms (RESCA) Executive Secretary Theoneste Mutsindashyaka said that the proliferation of small arms is a growing challenge for Africa.

“The porous borders between countries enable trafficking of these arms across the regions, resulting in a growing number of civilians holding arms illegally,” Mutsindashyaka said.

According to RESCA, the Arab Spring in North Africa which started in 2010 resulted in massive arms flows into the region and particularly into Libya.

“In the absence of an effective security system in post-Gaddafi Libya, these arms have remained largely unregulated,” he said.

“We suspect that Libyan arms have flowed into Nigeria, Mali and the Horn of Africa where there are also contributors of the current instability in South Sudan,” he said.

The executive secretary noted that illegal arms from Yemen have flown to Somalia, where they are boosting terrorist activities of the Al-Shabaab.

The Islamist movement has been blamed for terrorist’s attacks against innocent civilians in Somalia and Kenya. Mutsindashyaka added that there estimated 875 million small arms and light weapons in circulation both legally and illegally worldwide.

“About 100 million of these are found in Africa. This scenario creates a case for inter-regional collaboration and cooperation in addressing the problem of proliferation of illicit arms,” he said.

“Indeed, a specialized small arms agency at the AU is needed to strengthen and coordinate implementation of the continental small arms instrument,” he said.

Kenya’s Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said that criminals multiply their force through the use of unlawfully acquired arms.

“The fight against this phenomenon must be taken to the next level, so as to prevent destabilization of communities,” Kimaiyo said.

He said that Africa bears the biggest brunt of the wrath of illicit firearms being in the wrong hands. “The persistence of conflicts is encouraged by the availability of small arms,” the head of police said.

He noted that the proliferation of small arms generates a lot of money for manufacturers and middle, while continent pays a heavy price due to the vice.

Home
Email

Hiiraan Online