Proliferation and Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa

摘要

In Africa, the effect of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) continues to impact negatively on socioeconomic development, particularly within the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (GLHA) subregion. Since 2000, several initiatives on the matter have been developed. Foremost among the subregional and regional initiatives are the Nairobi and Bamako declarations on the 'African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons' in March and December 2000, respectively. This study seeks to examine the strategies that the GLHA countries are using to deal with the SALW problem with an emphasis on those of Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. It also analyzes the challenges the subregional governments have encountered while tackling this menace, and the measures they have developed to mitigate them. It is clear that the strategies' ends and ways are sufficient to contain the problem but only require better coordination, integration, and synchronization into one main effort. The author concludes that the war on SALW will remain elusive unless all member states show the political will to address the factors of increased supply and demand of SALW and allocate more resources to achieve their strategic ends.