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| Central and Eastern Africa |
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Illegal firearms pose a major threat to public
safety throughout central and east Africa, encouraging crime
and fuelling and prolonging conflict. Small arms and light
weapons such as assault rifles are especially suited to the
irregular warfare that is still widespread in the region because
they are cheap, easy to use, widely available and durable.
Bladed weapons like machetes have also been widely used in
conflicts in Rwanda and Burundi.
Millions of lives have already been lost in the region, and the supply
of arms to both governments and rebel groups continues to grow.
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| In 2000, 10 countries signed the
Nairobi Declaration on Small Arms and Light Weapons and in 2002
the East Africa Police Chiefs Committee was formed. The Committee
has set up a programme to register and classify firearms. However,
ongoing instability presents major challenges for these and other
initiatives. |
| Burundi |
| Burundi has been at war since 1993.
With its active rebel groups, the country is a magnet for arms
trafficking. The government has started to disarm individuals who
hold illegal firearms, but this is proving problematic. Conflicts
in Angola, Congo, Sudan and Somalia contribute to the free circulation
of weapons throughout the country. An estimated 300,000 civilians
have been killed so far. |
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The borders between Cameroon,
Chad and the Central African Republic have been identified as
areas of high proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
Armed banditry is a growing problem in urban areas of Cameroon,
and it is also a producer country.
Association Camerounaise pour l’evaluation environmentale
e-mail: bitondo@hotmail.com
Commission Diocésaine Justice
et paix de Yaoundé
e-mail: romyd2@yahoo.com
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| Political instability in CAR has
led to the proliferation of small arms, many of which enter the
country through its borders with Chad and Cameroon. A military
rebellion in 1996 left the security forces in chaos, and led to
a breakdown in law and order and the proliferation of armed militias.
Although a subsequent UN mission succeeded in retrieving 58 per
cent of illegally-owned light weapons, trouble flared again in
late 2002. Six months of fighting between rebels, government forces
and their Congolese allies ended in March 2003 with the ousting
of the president. The government has now launched an arms collection
programme offering jobs in exchange for weapons. It aims to recover
10,000 guns and create 1,000 jobs. |
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Democratic Republic of Congo
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| Until 1996, only government
officials were licensed to carry firearms in the DRC. Since war
broke out in the same year, small arms and light weapons have
spread throughout the country. A second war in 1998 exacerbated
the problem. The total death toll related to armed conflict is
estimated at 2,600 per day. More
The country held its first public destruction
of weapons in 2002, when 1,000 guns were set alight. The UN
mission in DRC aims to implement disarmament and demobilisation.
Over 200 child soldiers were demobilised in December 2001.
AVREO
e-mail: Avereo2001@yahoo.fr
Website: www.grip.org/afri/avereo.html
Congolese Physicians for Peace (IPPNW DCR)
e-mail:amcpaix@hotmail.com
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| Small arms and light weapons began
to proliferate in Djibouti after the civil war in 1991. Although
the sale, transfer and transportation of arms, munitions and materials
of war are regulated by a penal code introduced in 1962, the situation
has been made worse by a massive influx of refugees and ongoing
conflicts in neighbouring countries. |
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| Since independence in 1991, possessing,
trafficking and dealing in firearms have been illegal in Eritrea.
In 1998, the country went to war with Ethiopia over a border dispute.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been killed or
taken prisoner. The ongoing conflict has also led to large-scale
proliferation of small arms. Eritrea is currently working with
the UN Demobilisation Programme to demobilise 200,000 fighters. |
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| Ethiopia has more than 80 ethnic groups, with different
customs relating to possessing and using firearms. Many people
are strongly attached to their firearms. Nearly three decades of
war have left a large number of small arms and light weapons in
the hands of individuals. Weapons belonging to the defeated regime
have been redistributed without being registered with the police,
although efforts are being made to identify owners. Firearms are
smuggled in from neighbouring countries, particularly Somalia.
The government is planning new permanent laws to control firearms.
Temporary regulations require all citizens with firearms to
be registered and licensed. Attempts are also being made to
control the use of firearms in pastoral and nomadic communities,
where people are most likely to be deeply attached to their
weapons. The police and the defence force are working to strengthen
border controls and stop the illegal sale and purchase of firearms
within Ethiopia.
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| Regional conflict has led to
a significant increase in the number of illicit firearms recovered
by the Kenyan police. Kenya licenses non-lethal weapons like
chemical maces so people can protect themselves, but aims to
keep the use of firearms to the minimum. To discourage individuals
from arming themselves, the government has trained armed civilian
police reserves to protect people and their property. Kenya has
also introduced stiffer penalties for those dealing in small
arms, strengthened its specialist police units and agreed to
co-operate across borders with Uganda and Tanzania. The government
is planning campaigns against practices such as violent cattle
rustling and has pledged the public destruction of 20,000 illegal
firearms.
Projects
World Vision
World Vision works to resolve conflict among warring pastoral tribes
along the Uganda-Kenya border. There are an estimated 160,000 unregistered
small arms in the area. Their use has exacerbated age-old conflicts,
destroying property and lives, and making these communities some of
the most under-developed areas in the Horn of Africa. World Vision
aims to build on existing traditional conflict resolution mechanisms,
creating and supporting community- based peace reconciliation committees
at local, district and national level.
Africa Peace Forum/International Resource
Group
e-mail: kilenem@africaonline.co.ke
Website: www.amaniafrika.org
Association of Physicians and Medical Workers
for Social Responsibility
e-mail: psaoke@yahoo.com
Kibera Youth Programme for Peace and Development
e-mail: kenodhiss@yahoo.com
People for Peace in Africa
e-mail: ppa@africaonline.co.ke
Saferworld Africa
e-mail: jokoko@saferworld.org.uk
Website: www.saferworld.co.uk
Security Research and Information Centre
e-mail: sric@africaonline.co.ke
United Nations of Youth Foundation/Imotong
Ranges Agency for Development
e-mail: Olben2002@yahoo.com
Website: www.unoy.org
World Vision
Website: www.wvi.org
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Conflict first broke out in the Republic
of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) in 1993. Full-scale civil war
followed in 1997 and 1998-99, and there are still sporadic
outbreaks of violence. Conflicts in neighbouring countries
and the presence of armed militias have contributed to the
spread of small arms and light weapons. The government began
a disarmament and demobilisation programme in 2002. Its aims
are to collect 12,500 weapons and reintegrate 8,000 soldiers.
Rassemblement National des Blessés et Victimes de Guerres Civiles
(RANABLEVI)
e-mail Raphaël Edgar Abengovounet: rabengovounet@yahoo.fr
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During the Rwandan genocide,
Hutu militia were trained to murder 1,000 people every 20 minutes,
often using machetes and knives. The country remains deeply traumatised
and divided, and the region extremely volatile.
Both traditional weapons and small firearms are widespread, due to the
country’s porous borders and the cheapness and accessibility of weapons.
Following the Nairobi Declaration in 2000,
ministries and NGOs are working together to implement an agenda
and co-ordinate work in the region. Their aim is to develop
Rwanda’s capacity to build a sustainable approach to
tackling small arms and light weapons.
FARMAPU- INTER & CECOTRAP
e-mail: alisai2000@yahoo.fr
SaferRwanda
e-mail: saferrwanda@yahoo.co.uk
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| Somalia has not had a central government
since the early 1990s. Feudal warlords compete for power, and the
country is lawless. Illegal trading in small arms and light weapons
is widespread, and with many weapons crossing the porous and ill-defined
border into Kenya. The country also has groups linked to international
terrorism. Sources suggest that the missiles fired at an Israeli
plane and the bomb planted in hotel in Mombasa in late 2002 came
from Somalia, as did the bombs that killed more than 200 people
in the US embassies in Nairobi and Tanzania in 1998. |
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| Sudan |
| In the absence of a reliable
security sector, people are increasingly reliant on illegal firearms
to protect themselves. The spread of these weapons is also fuelling
crime, exacerbating conflict, undermining stability and hindering
development. Like Ethiopia, Sudan has various customs and traditions
relating to the possession of firearms, and some people are deeply
attached to their weapons.
Armed conflict in Sudan has been caused by
political competition and tribal conflict. Economic hardship,
widespread illiteracy, the weakness of law enforcement agencies
and the absence of a culture of peace all contribute to the
spread of small arms. Weapons also flow into Sudan from neighbouring
(also conflicted) countries. Sudan demobilised 909 child soldiers
at the end of 2001.
Centre of Humanitarian Affairs Resource
Management (CHARM)
e-mail: charm@sudanmail.net
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| Tanzania |
| Tanzania is an unstable country,
with large numbers of arms and soldiers with few or no other
skills. Tanzania’s National Action Plan aims to control
and eventually eradicate the proliferation of small arms. The
plan recognises the vital role of civil society in building sustainable
peace, security and development.
The Tanzanian government is taking a leading
role in the struggle against crime, terror and illicit arms
in the region. All relevant government agencies are working
together, overseen by NGOs. The government is also collaborating
with NGOs to develop a five-year national plan of action for
arms management and disarmament. In 2002 the police launched
a major operation to recover illegal arms in the Kagera region.
Concern for Development Initiatives
in Africa (ForDia)
e-mail: fordia@ud.co.tz
Website: www.fordia.org
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| Uganda |
| Uganda has been politically
unstable since becoming independent in 1962. In 1971, General
Idi Amin seized power. His regime was marked by state-sponsored
massacres using small arms. Although NGOs are now working to
promote human rights education and peaceful conflict resolution,
their work is hampered by a lack of reliable historical documentation.
In 2001, Uganda banned gun ownership for a
year to enable it to introduce more stringent regulation of
civilian firearms. The armed forces and the governments are
registering firearms and computerising their records. There
has been voluntary and forcible disarmament in rural communities,
and the government has encouraged farmers to switch from livestock
to arable farming in the hope of reducing violent cattle rustling.
Projects
UANSA
UANSA – the Uganda Action Network on Small Arms – is a coalition
of organisations and individuals working to reduce the number of small
arms and light weapons in Uganda, introduce proper controls and build
a culture of peace. Current projects include:
Research and awareness-raising:
The project aims to broaden local and international awareness
and strengthen understanding of the issues associated with
small arms, light weapons and community security. UANSA is
collecting and analysing data on the current situation. This
data will be disseminated to local and national organisations
through three workshops. These workshops will also aim to develop
a strategic approach to the illegal transfer and use of small
arms. UANSA sees raising awareness and building capacity as
the first steps in controlling and reducing the proliferation
of small arms.
In-country network and capacity-building:
The aim is to expand the UANSA network by including new organisations
and individuals in its activities. The project will also
train members of network organisations to handle small arms
issues, and encourage them to incorporate small arms issues
into their programs and projects.
People with Disabilities Uganda
e-mail: pwd@imul.com
Website: www.pwdu.org
Ugandan Association of Medical Workers for
Health & Environmental Concerns
e-mail: mworozi@imul.com
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Tackling
Small Arms in Central Africa