IANSA Update 17 October 2008

DRC: Evidence that Rwanda is supporting rebels in Congo
Control Arms: 2000 Parliamentarians sign the Declaration
UN First Committee resolutions on small arms and ATT
South Africa: MPs’ roundtable on ATT
EU: UN Crime Convention meeting
SIPRI report on EU air safety regulations and arms trafficking
Latin American arms exports increase by 50% between 1994-2006
Other news: Reports on weapons to Sudan; WN bulletin on line; German arms newsletter; Protest at H&K factory; Manipuri Gun Survivors event at UN

DRC: Evidence that Rwanda is supporting rebels in Congo
The Congolese national army has exhibited items recovered from a gun battle on 7 October in North Kivu, claiming they offer “irrefutable proof” that Rwandan Defence Forces are fighting alongside rebel commander Laurent Nkunda. The items include health insurance documents from the Rwandan Ministry of Defence, firearm storage equipment with the official seal of the Rwandan Defence Forces and R4 and AK-47 rifles, which the Congolese army says it does not possess. The Rwandan army has denied claims that troops have been deployed in eastern DRC. Meanwhile, thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes after a new rebel group attacked the outskirts of Bunia, the capital of the Ituri district and important base for UN peacekeepers on 10 October. Read more here.

Control Arms: 2000 Parliamentarians sign the Declaration
Over 2000 parliamentarians have now signed the Control Arms Parliamentarians Declaration, which calls on all governments to move quickly towards the negotiation of a tough ATT to prevent irresponsible arms transfers. The Declaration will be handed over to the Chair of the UN First Committee on Disarmament in New York on 20 October. Parliamentarians from Nepal, the Philippines, Mali and Ireland will be in attendance. Congratulations and thanks to all IANSA members who lobbied their parliamentarians during the campaign.

UN First Committee resolutions on small arms and ATT
Update from the UN First Committee: as of Friday afternoon 17 October, the resolution on small arms had 36 co-sponsors. The resolution for the next step in the Arms Trade Treaty process had 83 co-sponsors.

South Africa: MPs’ roundtable on ATT
South African parliamentarians met in Cape Town on 16 October for a roundtable discussion on the Arms Trade Treaty, ahead of a vote on the ATT’s progress expected at the UN in the next two weeks. The roundtable was organised by IANSA in collaboration with the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference. Rev Sue Brittion addressed the press on how churches and civil society mobilised to prevent the delivery of arms from China to Zimbabwe during the election crisis.

EU: UN Crime Convention meeting
Firearms marking was a focus of the expert consultation on the UN Firearms Protocol held at the UN Office on Drugs & Crime, in Vienna, 14 October. The consultation was part of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime. The Firearms Protocol is part of the Convention, and is the only legally binding global agreement on small arms. IANSA Policy Officer Dr Alun Howard gave a presentation on the urgent need for national firearms registration. Find out if your country has acceded to the Protocol here.

SIPRI report on EU air safety regulations and arms trafficking
Air traffic regulations are an under utilised but potentially promising tool for reducing destabilising arms transfers, according to a new report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. “Stemming destabilizing arms transfers” reports that 80 air cargo carriers covered by EU air safety regulations since 2006 have been previously named in UN or other reports on arms trafficking. The report shows that the air carriers involved in destabilizing arms transfers also tend to violate international air safety regulations, increasing their chance of being caught by the EU air safety controls. 53 of the 80 companies listed in the arms-trafficking reports have now been officially decertified.

Latin American arms exports increase by 50% between 1994-2006
Latin American small arms exports and imports increased by 50% and 16% respectively between 1994 and 2006, according to a new study by Asociacion para Politicas Publicas, an IANSA member in Argentina. The study reports that ammunition accounted for 30% of the region’s arms exports during the period. Read more here.

Other news

• Human Rights First has released two new publications for its Stop Arms to Sudan campaign. ‘Arms Sales to Sudan, 2004-2006’ and ‘A Three-Step Guide to Strengthening the Darfur Arms Embargo: Targeting the Arms Supply Chain’ are available from here.
• The IANSA Women’s Network Bulletin 16 is now available on line in French and Spanish
• IANSA members in Germany have published the October edition of their DAKs Newsletter, in German and English. It features a report on the BITS investigation of Heckler & Koch guns in the recent Georgian conflict.
• Meanwhile, a protest calling for the closure of Heckler & Koch’s manufacturing plant in Nottingham, UK was held on Monday 14 October.
• Congratulations to Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network & Control Arms Foundation of India, who held their first joint meeting at the UN in New York on 10 October.

If you would like to contribute to the IANSA Update, please send your news to louise.rimmer@iansa.org

Join the IANSA Women's Network: email women@iansa.org

Join the Million Faces petition in support of a global Arms Trade Treaty