Armed and insecure

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Table 11. Position of Horn of Africa countries in SIPRI’s list of top global arms importers 2005-2010 2010-2015 Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Somalia South Sudan Sudan Uganda 138 87 102 84 ..* 91 47 92 122 .. 55 71 153 83 48 49 ..: no data | * Somalia’s Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which ruled significant parts of Somalia until 2006, was ranked 158 in this period. Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database: http://armstrade.sipri.org/arms_trade/toplist.php; The dataset for 2005-2010 contains a total of 164 recipient states and rebel forces; 172 for 2010-2015. For arms exporters it will mean exchanging short-term financial profits for long-term enhanced global stability: lower levels of violence, less humanitarian need, lower refugee flows and other consequences of major armed violence. Small Arms China is often “portrayed as a supplier of last resort, willing to supply any state that is not subject to a UN arms embargo and with whom it has positive relations”. According to SIPRI, “Two factors have been highlighted to explain how China has become such an important source of SALW [small arms and light weapons] for African states. First, China’s adherence to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs means that it is willing to supply SALW, even where there is a risk that they will be used for internal repression. Second, China offers competitive pricing, including ‘friendship pricing’, and favourable financing options (e.g. soft loans, barter trade and mining concessions).” 744 But in addition to international transfers of SALW, intra-African trade and trafficking is also an important aspect of these flows. 745 Easily dismissed as ‘lesser’ weapons in a trade in which units of major weapon systems can cost millions and include cutting-edge technology, a few relatively cheap guns can wreak major havoc. A few thousand dollars’ worth of firearms or grenades can facilitate tragedies on the scale of the attacks on Kenya’s Garissa University, the Westgate Mall in Nairobi and the World Cup strike in Kampala. Furthermore, these weapons are used in most of the daily clashes and killings that comprise the thousands of deaths every year in the Horn of Africa. Moreover, SALW are the most commonly used weapons in the conflicts in the Horn of Africa; often they are the only weapons used by armed non-state groups. “The purpose for which the 744 SIPRI, ‘China’s export of small arms light weapons’, October 2013, http://books.sipri.org/files/PP/SIPRIPP38.pdf. 745 IPI Global Observatory, ‘How Disarmament in Africa Got More Complicated’, November 2013, https://theglobalobservatory.org/2013/11/how-disarmamentin-africa-got-more-complicated/. 162 PAX ! Armed and insecure
weapons have been acquired is often unclear, as is the intended user (e.g. the armed forces, police, militia, or private individuals or groups), where they are distributed, and if delivered weapons are adequately protected against theft and diversion [...] It is even more difficult to assess the volume of illegal supplies of SALW to non-state actors, including individuals, criminals and rebel groups, or to governments subject to UN arms embargoes”. 746 Embargoes Further, this report argues that arms embargoes, while essential, are often insufficient as implemented at present. Though they clearly have a positive impact in preventing some transfers of arms to the region’s worst conflicts, stronger terms, more robust enforcement and indeed more political will are needed to curb the proliferation of arms in the Horn of Africa. Some UN sanctions appear effective in terms of bringing major arms supplies to a near stop such as in Eritrea, while others, such as in the case of Somalia, ensure that arms transfers are tightly controlled. Conversely, the Sudan/Darfur embargo appears only marginally effective and of no use to the people in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Regional embargoes, such as the EU embargoes against South Sudan and Sudan, do indeed stop most arms transfers from the EU and are an essential cornerstone in a global architecture of greater restraint, but are easily circumvented by others with fewer qualms. Where no embargoes prevail, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) could make a difference, if implemented strictly—and provided that supplying states are parties to the treaty or at least adhere to its norms in practice. However, major suppliers to the Horn, such as Russia, the United States, China and Ukraine, have not acceded to the ATT so far. 747 Restraining national arms export policies could make a big difference in the meantime. ATT compliance among State Parties remains a serious issue, as recent UK arms transfers to Saudi Arabia have shown. Despite an arguably ‘predominant’ risk that they “could be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law” in Yemen, London has continued to licence their export. 748 Adherence to a strong international norm must become more commonplace for such transfers to become a thing of the past. Governance Nations in the Horn of Africa must increase their levels of governance, transparency, rule of law and democracy. Though often ignored in discussions of armed violence and arms control, issues such as corruption, freedom of the press and the existence of political opposition parties and competitive elections may be as important to the future of conflict and armed violence in the Horn of Africa as any other factor. Indeed, in the military sector corruption is leading to insecurity and instability, “as it weakens the institutional capacity and effectiveness of the armed forces and it repurposes these forces for 746 SIPRI, ‘Arms transfers to East and Southern Africa‘, December 2009, http://books.sipri.org/files/misc/SIPRIBP0912.pdf. 747 The United States and Ukraine have signed but not ratified the ATT. 748 ATT, Article 7. PAX ! Armed and insecure 163
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Armed and insecure An overview of a
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MSF NISAT-PRIO OCHA OHCHR RECSA RPG
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Weapon Use 68 Military Spending and
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Agents of Political Conflict in Afr
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Saudi Arabia Map 2 Horn of Africa S
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unacceptable humanitarian harm caus
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corruption, Somalia ranks last in t
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A few lessons learned can be mentio
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1. Sudan Once the continent’s lar
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iggest perpetrator of this type of
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documented, a few of which will be
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The relentless bombing and constant
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107mm mortars, as well as reportedl
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weapon systems are Russia, China, U
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small arms and light weapons (SALW)
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ocket launchers are also promoted.
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which they deemed ineffective. 124
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Spotlight: Children killed and maim
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© Enough / Amanda Hsiao South Suda
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!Abyei South Sudan Juba The Sudanes
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“Hundreds of extra-judicial killi
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embargo on South Sudan. 161 In earl
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implement” the remainder of the c
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thought to have been considerable,
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Equatorian leaders complained to th
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Spotlight: An Armed Newborn—Pre-i
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3. Uganda With a population slightl
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civil disobedience”—led to anot
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against the arrest and beating of a
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nonetheless killed 725 civilians in
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Concerning major weapons systems, t
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SU-30s do not appear to meet any ob
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the aim of offsetting the North’s
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Spotlight—Uganda and South Sudan:
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© Pete Lewis / UK DFID Refugee she
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Kenya Nairobi largest city), which
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end of 2014; the remaining cases ar
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them. 355 A few days later, 36 work
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2009, reaching USD 954 million in 2
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380 381 FN PRODUCTION Kenya has a s
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of USD 16,305 in small arms ammunit
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One fascinating investigative repor
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5. Ethiopia Among the largest and m
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the secession and autonomy efforts
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Ethiopian security forces have kill
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while providing limited hardware, t
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with the transformation of S-75 sur
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had been binding since March 1999.
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© David Stanley Military equipment
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Page 159 and 160: conflict situations or homicides. 7
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