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Where are the $35 million illegal arms imported by West Africans coming from?

The United Nations has reviewed the growing spate of criminal activities in West Africa, declaring that $35 million worth of small arms are imported to the sub region yearly.

It also disclosed that about 10 million illicit small and light weapons circulate in West Africa.

This finding was made known by the Special Representative of the Secretary –General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohammed Ibn Chambas during the Parliamentary Conference on legislative action for the containment of Small Arms and Light Weapon (SALWs), held in Abuja.

During the programme, which was jointly organised by the ECOWAS Parliament, National Institute for Legislative Studies (NILS), Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chambas said conflicts gave rise to the proliferation of small arms, which was as result of unchecked loopholes in governance at the community and state levels.

He listed some key issues including lack of respect for the rule of law, lack of accountability, exclusion from policies, as well as unconstitutional changes in government.

“We should pay particular attention to border communities, resident in our extensive and often porous borders, who are often the farthest from our capital cities and often with minimal state presence,” Chambas warned.

 Where are the weapons coming from?

A report into the military capabilities of powers around the world revealed that more than two-thirds of African countries use China’s military equipment.

According to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Military Balance, China has been making significant advancement into Africa’s defence market.

Nigeria and Uganda among 10 other African Nations are said to have become ‘emergent customers’ for Beijing’s arms exports since 2005.

Last year, the United Nations raised alarm over the illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Nigeria, with possession of over 350 million ( 70%) of an estimated 500 million of such weapons said to be circulating  West Africa.

Another factor is the production of firearms by local artisans, which is not new to the region. It has existed in many countries – including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo – for decades, and in Ghana for centuries. Over time, local manufacturers’ knowledge has improved and the level of activity seems to have increased.

Firearm production and the dynamics that shape it, vary considerably from one country to another. The little empirical research available provides a glimpse into it in some countries – for example Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo and Nigeria. Studies describe an artisanal, informal and mainly clandestine industry, animated by blacksmiths whose knowledge is passed on to the next generation, and occasionally to apprentices.

The homemade weapons found in West Africa are typically rudimentary, and are often duplicates of existing firearms. They include pistols, shotguns (including single-barrel and double-barrel), automatic rifles and ammunition. In countries like Ghana, blacksmiths are even able to reproduce – at least in appearance – assault weapons, such as the AKM; a version of the AK-47.

Manufacture is mainly demand-driven, with hunters being the main clients. However, there is a lack of transparency and control of weapons sales in the region, with some arms ending in the hands of criminals. The demand can be local, national or regional such as when arms are smuggled into neighbouring countries.

In a similar development, Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, called on Nigeria and The Gambia, to join other ECOWAS members in the creation of National Commission on Small Arms Convention. He also called on ECOWAS member states to enact laws that make “gun possession difficult.”

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