EDITORIAL

The proliferation of light weapons and illicit arms trafficking in Africa pose a major threat to peace, security and development in the continent. Although they do not in themselves cause the conflicts and criminal activities in which they are used, the wide availability, accumulation and illicit flows of such weapons tend to escalate conflicts; undermine peace agreements; intensify violence and impact on crime; impede economic and social development; and hinder the development of social stability, democracy and good governance.

There is a close relationship between peace and security in Africa, both internally and internationally, and the economic, social and political development of countries in the region.

In the existing conditions in Africa, effective action to control arms flows and availability requires determined, comprehensive and co-ordinated action at not only the local and national levels but also at the level of the African sub-regions and the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Moreover, the effectiveness of sub-regional action on arms proliferation and trafficking in Africa can only be reinforced through co-operation with the OAU and through the establishment of information exchange mechanisms between each sub-regional organisation and its counterpart.

Recent increases in awareness of the problems of weapons proliferation and arms trafficking, in Africa and also internationally, are greatly to be welcomed. Here, it is important to recognise the numerous initiatives, resolutions and agreements to address the problem that have recently been taken in Southern Africa (the Operations Rachel on weapons collection, and the Programme of Action for combating illicit arms trafficking are among the most recent), the Sahara-Sahel (for example, the Mali moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of weapons), and which are making an impact on the OAU, the UN and its agencies, and other members of the international community.

However, it is important to recognise that present actions to tackle these problems in Africa remain inadequately developed and often ineffective. Awareness of the severity of the problem still needs to be increased in some quarters. The problem requires a co-ordinated regional approach. However an African policy and an action programme that covers the needs of the continent has yet to be developed.

An integrated and comprehensive response is needed to meet the complex challenges of weapons proliferation and illicit trafficking, yet existing responses remain fragmented and inadequately resourced. A set of co-ordinated sub-regional programmes does not exist to tackle illicit arms trafficking. Programmes to develop effective controls on legal arms possession and transfers, among civilians and state security forces, remain inadequate. So, too, are programmes to disarm ex-combatants, remove unlicensed arms from civilians, and destroy or safely dispose of ‘surplus’ stocks of arms or confiscated illicit weapons. Transparency, information exchange and consultation among countries on these issues remain weak.

The objective of this bi-monthly newsletter is to provide information on events, initiatives, problems and possible actions around illegal small arms applicable in Africa that will assist in combating this scourge. The problem of small arms proliferation and arms trafficking has also a direct impact on other issues such as demining operations and the growing international concern for the plight of children in armed conflict. For this reason, this bi-monthly newsletter will follow the following format.

Illicit Arms and Africa will be divided into six sections, four of which will look at small arms, one on demining news for Africa, and one on children in armed conflict. Each issue will have a different focus area (North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and the Horn, and Southern Africa). This first issue will focus on general news from Southern Africa. After the five regions are covered, subsequent newsletters will revisit each region and update the information for that region.

What are small arms and light weapons?

Small arms include revolvers and self-loading pistols, rifle and carbines, sub-machine guns, assault rifles and light machine guns. Light weapons include heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers, portable anti-aircraft guns, portable anti-tank guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems and mortars of calibres less than 100 mm. From the United Nations "Report of Government Experts on Small Arms,"

A/52/298, 27 August 1997.

Southern Africa

A co-ordinated, determined and comprehensive regional ‘Action Programme’ on light arms proliferation and illicit arms trafficking is needed in Southern Africa. To enhance capacity in the region to develop and implement such a programme, and to reinforce its effectiveness, co-operation with the European Union (EU) and other members of the international community should be developed, particularly through the EU-SADC dialogue.

Steps in this direction are already being taken. In May 1998 governmental officials participated in a meeting sponsored by two non-governmental organisations (Saferworld from the UK and the Institute for Security Studies of South Africa) to discuss a Programme of Action that could be undertaken in a co-operative fashion between the members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and EU member states. The results of this Programme of Action have been discussed in at subsequent meetings in Brussels and Vienna and have the potential to lead to a comprehensive approach towards the control of arms trafficking.

Four principal areas of co-operation have been identified:

Combating illicit trafficking by strengthening laws and regulations, reinforcing operational capacity, and improving both the systems to trace illicit arms flows and the information exchange mechanisms in the sub-region;



Strengthening regulation and controls on the accumulation and transfers of arms by improving controls over civilian possession of firearms, enhancing the restraint and controls over accumulation and transfer of light weapons and associated military equipment, and improving the capacity to monitor and trace light weapons possession and transfers;



Promoting the removal of arms from society and the destruction of surplus arms by means of collection, removal from circulation, and destruction of surplus military stocks, removing confiscated and unlicensed weapons from circulation, undertaking voluntary weapon collection and exchange programmes, and reversing the cultures of gun-associated violence; and



Enhancing transparency, information exchange and consultation on arms in Southern Africa by enhancing public transparency, and improving information exchange and consultation.

This agenda for action reflects the nature and scope of the problem as the challenges of weapons proliferation and arms trafficking are complex and no single policy response would be adequate. Programmes to address illicit arms trafficking must be combined with actions to strengthen controls on legally owned arms; remove, destroy or safely dispose of, excess or confiscated arms; and enhance transparency, information collection and exchange, and consultation across the region. In this model, the programme of action on illicit arms should be co-ordinated across the region of Southern Africa, so that local and national actions are mutually reinforcing and appropriate actions are taken at the regional level. It should build upon, and further strengthen, regional institutions and structures. The regional programme must also be integrated with wider programmes to promote individual and community security; implement peace agreements; and advance post-conflict reconstruction, economic and social development, and good governance - both within the region and across Africa.

ate 1998 has seen three important meetings being held in Europe to further co-operation between the northern and southern countries of the world. In October, the Belgian government hosted a conference on "Sustainable Disarmament for Sustainable Development" which brought together participants representing both governments and non-governmental organisations from around the world to develop a call for action. The main points of the call for action are:

A call for an International Programme of Action on Practical Disarmament and Peacebuilding which will comprehensively address the multiple issues which impact on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons with initiatives to promote security and build peace as prerequisites for sustainable development. Measures to be considered include:

Combating illicit arms trafficking;



Strengthening national legislation and controls for the possession, use and transfer of small arms and light weapons;



Ensuring that weapons holding by defence and security forces do not exceed requirements for legitimate defence and security needs; and



Developing partnerships to assist and strengthen the capacity of countries in regions of conflict to monitor and control arms accumulations and flows.

A call for immediate action on governmental and non-governmental bodies to take
co-ordinated action at national, regional and international levels to encourage efforts in:

Concrete measures on human security and development

Measures to address the widespread availability, transfer and use of light weapons

Care for victims

The call for action from the Brussels conference will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly.

Concurrently, the Austrian government, which holds the presidency of the European Union until the end of December, hosted an EU-SADC Parliamentarian/NGO meeting on "European-Southern African Co-operation in a Globalising World" as a precursor to the EU-SADC ministerial meeting held in early November. The former meeting focused on the broad array of issues facing both regions, with an emphasis on security-related matters, including the trafficking of small arms and demining.

The ministerial meeting discussed similar issues, and once again the issue of arms trafficking in Southern Africa was an agenda item. The outcome of the ministerial meeting should allow for access to EU funds by governments in Southern Africa and shows the continued development of important co-operation between the two regions.

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In October the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) began to meet during the 53rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This year the committee has several resolutions before it which relate to the issue of small arms, including one on illicit small arms trafficking and a second on a proposed conference on the illicit arms trade.

The first resolution, which was passed without a vote in the First Committee, asked the Secretary-General to undertaken consultations on the magnitude and scope of illicit small arms trafficking, possible measures to combat the trafficking of small arms and the role the UN could play in collecting and sharing information on small arms trafficking. The resolution specifically asks that roles suited for indigenous regional approaches be considered in the Secretary-General’s discussions. The resolution was sponsored by 57 countries, including from Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland and Togo.

The second draft resolution discusses the holding of an international conference on the illicit arms trade by the year 2001. It asks the Secretary-General to prepare a report to outline the scope of such a conference, taking into consideration the views of UN members. It was sponsored, by, among others, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

In the general debate around small arms, representatives from African countries have made a wide range of points on the impact illicit small arms have on their countries and Africa’s sub-regions. The Mozambican delegate noted the impact light weapons and small arms may have on the socio-economic development of post-conflict states. He emphasised that the weapons pose not only a threat to national security, but also endanger regional stability.

Benin, Burkina Faso and Mauritius also spoke on the dangers posed by landmines and small arms, the latter, which the representative of Burkina Faso noted, contribute to criminal activities, halt development and prevent the growth of democratic processes. Niger called for concerted action to curb the illegal trafficking of small arms while Ghana suggested that the links between the illegal small arms trade and other transnational criminal activities be explored. Mauritius called for the international community to control and eradicate the small arms used in African conflicts.

Initiatives in Africa — Operations

ith the end of the Cold War proxy conflicts, Southern Africa has been left with large numbers of weapons. These weapons have made social stability and human development hostage by being used to fuel crime and violence. Given the regional nature of weapons proliferation, efforts undertaken with one or more partners have the best chance of success.

Various countries in Southern African have entered into bilateral or trilateral co-operation agreements around arms control issues. The agreement between Mozambique and South Africa has had perhaps the most success in destroying surplus weapons.

In recognition of the extent of illicit arms smuggling, motor vehicle theft and the damaging effects both were having on safety and security, Mozambique and South Africa signed a crime-combating agreement in 1995. The agreement allows police forces of the two countries to undertake joint operations in response to common safety and security problems.

It was recognised that arms caches in Mozambique were a main source of arms being smuggled into South African. The joint operations (known as Operations Rachel) were established to find and destroy weapons within Mozambique left over from the war.

One of the main characteristics of the operations is that they have been intelligence driven. It was agreed that both the Mozambican and South African police forces would gather intelligence information about cache locations. Then a team of Mozambican and South African police would destroy the weapons on site. South Africa pays the bulk of the costs of the operations and provides expertise on weapons and explosives disposal and destruction. As a result of increasing awareness about the programmes, private companies have become involved, giving incentives to informers who declare the location of arms caches. Often these informers are women and children.

The Rachel operations also have an unorthodox policing approach. Individuals with information on arms caches are worked with and often remunerated for disclosing arms caches. The rationale behind this approach is the belief that most of the cache caretakers know about more caches. "If you prosecute at the outset you lose the person’s co-operation to disclose other caches."

Since the initiative was launched, Operations Rachel go from success to success. By September 1998 three such operations had taken place. Police statistics indicate that these operations have destroyed more than 300 tons of firearms and about 40 million rounds of ammunition.

As a result of these successes, Operation Rachel IV was undertaken in October 1998. While previous operations focused on southern Mozambique, Rachel IV went into the central Sofala province. Over thirty bomb, explosive and firearms disposal experts of the South Africa Police Service and 12 Mozambican counter-parts were involved in the operation.

The operation destroyed over 100 tons of illegal weapons, including two cannons, assault rifles, four types of handguns, three types of detonators, eight types of mortar bombs and five types of rocket launchers.

The expectation is that if these operations continue to be as successful as they are now, eventually most caches in Mozambique will be destroyed and hence one of the sources of illegal weapons will have been eliminated. The lessons of Operations Rachel will prove valuable for other regions considering similar programmes.

SARPCCO and Crime Combating in Southern Africa

In its endeavour to combat international and cross-border crime, the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO) Ministerial meeting was held in Gaborone, Botswana from 27-30 July 1998. The meeting reviewed crime reports of the chiefs of police of all SARPCCO members and the general progress of the organisation’s programme.

By the meeting, regional police services had concluded three joint operations and one was still to be finished. These operations were aimed at combating motor vehicle thefts, drug trafficking, firearms smuggling, diamond smuggling and other related crimes. As a result of the joint operations, 624 stolen motor vehicles, 85 firearms and 129 100 rounds of ammunition were recovered and 838 arrests were made.

"The success of the three operations during the year under review was an indication of what can be achieved when police agencies act together with a common purpose in the fight against crime," reads the final communiqué. The meeting agreed that there is a definite need to expand regional crime operations targeting arms trafficking, vehicle theft and other cross-border crimes. Hence it urged the Permanent Co-ordinating Committee to plan and undertake more operations of this kind.

Due to the fact that firearms are used in other type of crimes the meeting has once again identified firearms trafficking as one of its priority areas. The Liaison Officer for Firearms and Endangered Species has been seeking information and intelligence from all countries in the region in order to assess the volume of this problem. This will allow informed SARPCCO strategies to be developed.

The next SARPCCO Annual General meeting is scheduled to be held from 26-29 July 1999 in Mbabane, Swaziland.

National efforts — South Africa

South Africa has taken steps to address the spread of illicit small arms in the country and the region from both an arms control and a crime prevention perspective. The South African Department of Foreign Affairs has just released a position paper on small arms and light weapons proliferation.

his document outlines what the South African government feels the appropriate steps are to stem the proliferation of these weapons. It suggests the need for:

An holistic approach with concurrent action at national, regional and international levels focusing on both licit and illicit small arms and light weapons; and

A regional initiative for the control of weapons proliferation in Africa.

The paper emphasises that the proliferation of small arms and light weapons must be viewed from an inclusive perspective of arms control and disarmament, post-conflict peacebuilding, conflict prevention and socio-economic development. It proposes practical measures for co-ordination and co-operation at national, regional and international levels. These include at the national level:

Enhancement of legislation and regulation



Reduction of the current number of existing weapons and at the regional level:



Confidence-building and transparency measures



Steps to prevent the inflow of weapons to affected regions



Co-operative partnerships between governments, international and regional organisations and non-governmental organisations.

From the crime prevention approach, the 1996 National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), an interdepartmental initiative to reduce crime in South Africa, includes a strategy on firearms policy that looks to improve controls over the possession of legal firearms (both private ownership and those owned by state security structures), prevent legal firearms from becoming illegal through criminal activity, take proactive steps to reduce the number of existing firearms in the country, prevent the inflow of illegal weapons and mobilise public and political support for the above processes.

To date, the government has worked to improve controls over land borders and has reduced the number of international airports in the country. Efforts to improve the inspection and clearance of goods at sea ports are also underway. In addition, the current legislation regulating civilian possession of firearms is under review and new legislation is expected to be tabled before parliament in 1999.

Parliamentarian meeting in Cape Town, South Africa

On 16 September 1998, the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa held a first meeting with South African and regional parliamentarians on developing an arms control community in Southern Africa. The half-day session was attended by representatives of the Justice, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Safety and Security Portfolio Committees from South Africa and a representative from the Namibian parliament. Expected participants from Mozambique and Tanzania were not able to attend.

The meeting had a dual purpose: to initiate discussions within the parliamentary community on issues around firearms and arms trafficking in the sub-region and to build on the Programme of Action for Southern Africa to address illicit light weapons trafficking. The Programme of Action developed from a conference held by the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa and the London-based Saferworld in May 1998 with representatives of European Union and Southern African Development Community countries. These recommendations were adopted by the conference participants and the roundtable participants were presented with the recommendations and encouraged to discuss within their committees how they could be adopted and implemented in Southern Africa.

This roundtable was the first in an anticipated series that will broaden to include more regional participants and participation by Saferworld and selected European parliamentarians. In addition to furthering cross-regional co-operation and co-ordination, it is hoped that this effort may lead to a longer-term goal of incorporating the issue of light weapons into parliamentary discussions within Southern Africa as an issue in its own right.

Child soldiers

Arica has a history of using children in and for war. The impact of war on children generates an ever-expanding circle of violence and underdevelopment: the great challenges to the future of Africa. The international and regional community of nations, governments, and NGOs are now beginning to acknowledge that this practice must stop if the future is to hold hope. Initiatives to understand, cope with the problem, and stop the exploitation of children in and for war are beginning to emerge. Discussions around the work of the International

Criminal Court and a proposed African court to focus on human rights violations is vital step towards the protection of Africa’s children.

The international community has recognised the need to focus on the role of children in conflict, and the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has recently appointed Olara Otunnu as his special representative on children in armed conflict.

In addressing the Security Council on 29 June, the special representative summarised the problem and reflected on possible solutions.

He said: "On the eve of the new millennium, we are witnessing an abomination directed against children in the context of armed conflict. In the course of the last decade, we have seen two million children killed. One million orphaned, six million seriously injured or permanently disabled, twelve million made homeless and ten million left with serious psychological trauma. A large number of children, especially young women, have been made the targets of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a deliberate instrument of war." To reverse this trend, especially prevalent in Africa, he proposed practical measures for the prevention, protection and recovery of children affected by armed conflict.

These are:

the need to take international norms seriously;



the need to prioritise local value systems in dealing with the problem; and



to undertake concrete initiatives to protect children in the midst of conflict and in the post-conflict phase.

Some steps have already been taken, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) which has been ratified by every UN member state except for Somalia and the USA. The Convention contains provisions for the survival, protection and development of children. Other international instruments such as the Geneva Convention (1949) along with its additional protocols (1977) also provide for the application of international humanitarian law concerning children in armed conflict. The Africa Charter, which has provisions covering children in armed conflict, has not been ratified by most African countries.

Demining in Africa

The state of demining activities in Southern Africa in the past several months can be characterised as one of mixed results. Despite the displacements caused by landmines, Southern African Development Community (SADC) members have been slow in ratifying the Ottawa Convention prohibiting the use, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. To date, only six out of the 14 members of the regional organisation have ratified the Convention (Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe).

In Angola the prospects for demining have become uncertain following the renewal of hostilities between government and UNITA forces. Due to deteriorating security conditions, a number of demining operations have been suspended. Some demining organisations have also stopped their operations to demonstrate their disapproval of the re-laying of mines.

Demining developments in other parts of the region seem quite promising. On 22 July, Osorio Mateus, executive director of Mozambique’s National Demining Commission, detailed Maputo’s efforts to clear of landmines. He stated that 6 970 km of roads, 362 km of areas surrounding power lines, 90 km of railways and additional areas have been cleared of mines since 1993.

Mozambique has been assisted in its demining operations by various governments and organisations, including South Africa and the European Union. In August, Canada extended US$ 9 million to Mozambique for education and mine clearance projects. In September, the United Nations Development Programme pledged to make financial contributions to the demining activities in Mozambique, while Handicap International, an European NGO, assisted in a programme to include mine awareness in the curriculum of primary schools.

Zimbabwe has also made efforts to combat landmines. In August, it began the demining of a 150 km area along its border with Zambia. The operation came following a mine awareness programme launched by the Zimbabwean army. It is anticipated that the operation will remove more than 22, 000 mines between Victoria Falls and parts of Lake Kariba. Landmines in this area have been responsible for the loss of lives of civilians, as well as domestic and wild animals.

Namibia has also made some progress in its campaign against landmines. According to information provided by the Ministry of Defence in May, more than 100 000 mines and explosives and hundreds of minefields have been cleared. This operation saw the completion of the first phase of a mine-clearance project, assisted by the USA, in northern Namibia. The mines are remnants of military operations preceding Namibian independence.