Air cargo companies involved in illicit arms transfers to Africa have also been repeatedly contracted to deliver humanitarian aid and support peacekeeping operations, revealed a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The report shows that at least 90% of international air cargo carriers named in UN Security Council and other arms trafficking reports have also been used by UN agencies, EU and NATO governments, leading NGOs and private contractors. In some cases, air cargo companies are delivering both aid and weapons to the same conflict zones.

Air transportation has played a key role in fuelling the war economies that have devastated much of Angola, Colombia, DR Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan in recent decades. It is fundamental to the transfer of small arms and other ‘conflict-sensitive’ goods such as precious minerals, metals, hydrocarbons and drugs. With the exception of Somalia, all of Africa’s most serious ongoing conflicts take place some distance from coastal zones, making maritime arms delivery nearly impossible. According to SIPRI’s report, 80% of all illicit weapons shipments are delivered by air.

The report, Air Transport and Destabilising Commodity Flows, argues that a focus on transportation can help curb illicit transfer of weapons to conflict zones. Air transport actors are far easier to trace than arms brokers or resource smugglers, because the transporters must legitimately register their aircraft and associated companies. This characteristic makes them subject to control and able to be tracked via databases and flight records.

Oliver Sprague from Amnesty International UK said, "The Humanitarian sector has been too complacent for far too long in this area, failing to recognise the clear links between arms transport and logistics and arms trafficking to conflict zones. They have routinely contracted companies whose gun-running activities have directly contributed to the suffering they are working so hard to alleviate. Tough ethical standards exist in many areas of humanitarian work; it is high time similar robust standards are applied to those delivering their goods."

In recent years two international initiatives have been launched to improve regulations on arms transportation. Voluntary best practice guidelines were adopted in 2007 by the 40 countries participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement, including all the major arms exporting countries. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) adopted a resolution in 2008 urging members states to address this topic (page 29).