Materials and Documents on small arms

1101 Organizations fighting the proliferation of Small Arms in Africa

AEFJN Report - Arms Exports and Transfers from AFRICA to AFRICA

Although intra-continental weapons transfers are not well-documented there are some general trends that have developed over the years.

Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are the most commonly used weapons in violent conflicts in all African regions. Groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda, various Somali factions across the Horn of Africa, and the post-election violence in Kenya are further incited by the omnipresence of illegally-trafficked Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

Most of these weapons are second-hand and/or refurbished equipment.

AEFJN Report Arms exports and Transfers: EUROPE to AFRICA

Selling and transferring arms to the African market is a very profitable endeavor for many European countries and companies. For example, Russia, the second largest arms exporter after the United States, sent 14% of its arms and weapons exports for 2005-2009 to Africa, its second largest market. In the same time period, German arms exports to Africa increased by 100% from 2000-2004, and French exports increased by 30%. It is important to note that a majority of the defense materials, aircraft, and vehicles that are sent to Africa are refurbished or second-hand; many are remnants of Cold War era militarization, particularly the arms from Eastern European countries such as Ukraine.

African Conventions to fight the proliferation of small arms

Requirements for a strong and robust ATT at the UN

Central African states agree to control small arms

Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (RDC), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe will sign the Kinshasa Convention, a legal instrument to fight the proliferation of small arms in the region.

Applying Sustainable Development to Arms-Transfer - Oxfam

Illicit brokering of weapons - Presentation by FlemishPeaceInstitute

Characteristics of Illicit Brokering Activities IntPeaceInfo-Anvers

Arms Brokering in Europe -Presentation By IntPeaceInfoAnvers

Blood at the Cross Roads - Towards the ATT -Amnesty Int.

Arms Brokering - Implications and the Need for Better Controls

Small Arms in Africa

The Illegal arms pipeline to Africa

Small arms in Kenya

Small arms proliferation in Southern Africa

Small armas, Intolerance and tragedy in Nigeria's Delta Region

Small Arms – The World’s favorite weapons of mass destruction

Status of national commissions on arms in ECOWAS Region

Ratification ECOWAS Convention on small arms

Implementation_Ecowas_convention

Recomendations for ECOWAS Parliamentarians for the control of small arms

Role of Parliamentarians in the control of small arms - Sierra Leone

International and Regional Instruments in small arms control

Small arms related violence in ECOWAS region

Towards an International Arms Trade Treaty

The lack of international legislation to control the trade in arms is fuelling violence in many countries. Governments have come to acknowledge the need for an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), based on fundamental principles of international law. The ATT will reduce the human cost of arms proliferation, prevent unscrupulous weapons suppliers finding the weakest point in the supply chain, and ensure that all arms exporters are working to the same standards.

The African Synod and the control of small arms

Small arms and light weapons fuel civil wars and other conflicts, causing harm to millions of people in Africa. The African Synod welcomes the Arms Trade Treaty at the UN and asks for binding universal standards for the global commerce on arms. The bishops propose that the production of all kinds of arms be drastically reduced.

SOUTH AFRICA - Arms export controls in meltdown

A report by South Africa's Auditor-General has revealed a serious lack of controls over exports of its vast array of conventional weapons, which a non-governmental organisation monitoring the trade attributes to government's "couldn't be bothered" attitude. "The Auditor-General demonstrates that South Africa's arms control regime is in a state of advanced crisis, with the upshot that South African arms sales may be fuelling brutal dictators and rogue regimes"

Swedish Churches call for clearer rules to govern arms trade at the EU

EU countries sell arms to countries suffering from severe poverty and thereby directly and seriously hamper sustainable development. The churches see an ethical problem there...

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