Africa and the Arms and Trade Treaty

04/30/14
Angelica-Ruth Wekwete
Africa
Arms Control

On April 23, 2014 the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted an event analyzing the potential impact of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on African countries. The ATT is an international treaty that regulates the “international trade in conventional arms, from small arms to battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships. Event panelists included Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation and Raymond Gilpin, Academic Dean of the National Defense University’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Jennifer Cooke, Director of CSIS’s Africa Program, moderated the panel.

Below are our notes from the event that highlight some of main points raised at the event. You can access the full video for more information. 

Jennifer Cooke’s overview of the challenge arms trafficking poses for Africa included the following points:

  • 20 percent of world's small arms are found in Africa
  • The majority of arms come from outside Africa
  • Small arms proliferation is an aggravating factor in such brutal conflicts as the Central African Republic and South Sudan
  • Militant and extremist groups seek out small arms. Examples of such groups include Boko Haram (Nigeria), M23 (DRC.
  • The Arms Trade Treaty, adopted April 2013, is meant to curb the illicit trade of arms
  • To date, African ratification has been meager despite the diplomatic push: only two nations have signed (Mali and Nigeria)

 

Thomas Countryman spoke at length on the importance of building African countries’ capacity for rule of law and weapon management:

  • Governments will have to ensure that rule of law is enhanced, which includes the necessity for an enhanced capacity to prosecute traffickers within each country’s borders and track them when they are outside
  • More control over international transfers and stockpiles of weapons is needed
  • Corruption is an important factor, as corrupt security officials may rent or sell weapons
  • Effective controls over state owned stockpiles of conventional weapons are in order (not an obligation of the treaty, but is essential)
  • During the United Nations negotiations, several African nations insisted on stockpile security, although it was not eventually included

 

Contryman on U.S. assistance:

  • The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) assists states in marking and tracing national weapons inventories (catalogue and track)
    • To date, DoJ assisted 24 African states in marking weapons
  • The State Department’s Bureau of International Affairs provides assistance in securing and destroying weapons.
  • The U.S. also supports improvement of border control and customs services, which goes hand in hand with the effectiveness of the treaty.
  • State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation provides roughly $60 million a year for border control and customs assistance.The treaty has the potential to improve international cooperation on these issues, which is needed.

 

Countryman also noted that the treaty itself is not a panacea to the proliferation of small arms:

  • ATT is a tool, not the solution itself— not enough to stop illicit flow of weapons
    • The illicit flow of weapons is only part of the problem
    • According to a 2013 UN report on small arms, there are five sources of small arms and light weapons in Africa:
      • Legacy weapons from past conflicts
      • Weapons from recent conflicts in other countries
      • Sold by or rented from corrupt security officials
      • Transferred by neighboring governments
      • Imported from outside Africa

 

Raymond Gilpin reflected on the potential that the treaty has to change small arms proliferation, but also conceded its limitations.

What does the treaty mean for peace and security in Africa?

  • Treaty introduces a model of responsibility in small arms and weapons trade
  • Collaborative effort in industry and between signatures of the treaty
  • Makes it easier to enforce accountability across the continent
  • Treaty will not bring about peace and security single handedly. Conflicts are too complex, and are interwoven with societal and environmental changes.

 

Gilpin especially focused on the low capacity among African governments to prevent proliferation:

  • In most African nations there isn't much of a baseline (tracking, marking etc.) in terms of small arms and weapons. The treaty could create the impetus for change:
    • Getting African nations to ratify/make changes to their national legislation
    • Practicalities of implementation are challenging, as right now, there is a lack of capacity to monitor and transfer in a way that is consistent with the provisions of ATT
    • There is the important challenge of undocumented stockpiles
    • There are established smuggling routes

 

Gilpin points to an August 2013 survey conducted by GRIP (Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security) that found that in Africa

  • Most countries (over 60%) do not have reporting legislation (laws that require reporting on national stockpiles)
  • Most of them (about 50%) do not require marking or have any arrangements for registration
  • 50% claim to have tracing procedures in place, but implementation is very weak across the board
  • Of all the countries surveyed
    • 43 have arrangements to track imports
    • 33 have legislation for exports
    • Only 24 have any legislation that covers transshipment
    • Many legislative gaps in government

 

Gilpin also underlined the important lack of transparency from the donor side, undercutting efforts for better transparency in general.

Gilpin outlined several recommendations

  • Focus on building the baseline in every country and supporting capacity enhancements
  • Public-private partnership to clean up the supply chain. Make transparency in the interest of the industry and the governments involved
  • Muscular international diplomacy to deal with countries that aid, abet and sustain small arms trafficking
  • Disentangle illicit arms trade system
  • Coordinated action to go after globalized networks that facilitate illicit transfers
  •  Small arms and light weapons challenge is about domestic/regional security and prospects not just about the ATT

This post was written by Center for International Policy's Transperancy and Accountability intern Angelica-Ruth Wekwete.