ECOWAS assures member nations of its resolution to combat Small Arms & light weapons proliferation

Says..over 850 million small arms and light weapons in the hands of civilians, set to mob them out-ECOWAS

Oru Leonard 

Following the increasing insecurity within the ECOWAS member nations, in an Independent Experts Meeting Study on Civilian Possession of Arms and Operational Guidelines on licensing in the ECOWAS region held in Bolton White Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, ECOWAS assured its member nations of its resolution to fully participate in combating the proliferation of
Small Arms and Light Weapons across its member nations.

The Head of the Small Arms Division of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Joseph Ahoba made the statement while declaring the event open

The Facilitator for the Civilian Possession of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the West African Region, Major General Shehu Usman Abdulkadiri rtd, In an exclusive interview with Africa Security Investigation news journalist just after the event was declared open stated that member nations should be ready to partner and willing to work with ECOWAS to achieve the required result especially now that ECOWAS has made it a priority.

While speaking further he has this to say,
“To curb this illicit arms proliferation, member states should also be on board to checkmate the excesses of these illicit arms coming into the sub-region to bring about peace and security. It is very much understood that without peace and security, there can never be development. Therefore, there is a need for the ECOWAS Heads of State and government to come together and put their best in their various countries to see how they can end the menace of Small Arms and Light Weapons proliferation in collaboration with ECOWAS”.

Speaking on the anticipated outcome of the program,
“Well, the anticipated result is that the ECOWAS would go back and put its House in order based on what the experts have suggested and what has come out of the report and then also escalated to the level of states and governments for implementation. Then, probably looking at legislation, the licensing regime, the regulatory aspects, and administrative control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, especially within the civilian fold. In the opening statement, it was mentioned there that over 850 million small arms and light weapons are in the hands of civilians, which is much more than what the state actors hold. So, it’s alarming that even though some of them could be legally owned, others may not. And therefore, those are the ones that should be targeted.

“Owned modality should be put in place as to regular checking of those weapons. And then also, the issue of training for the handlers or the owners of those weapons. It is setting that we will not be able to completely mob these arms out of our societies but at least we’ll reduce it to some extent.

Advising the ECOWAS member nations, Mr. Shehu suggested that all nations should embrace advocacy as it is one of the most friendly civic techniques that can generate a wide scope of results.
“Well, the first thing I will suggest is sensitization. There is a need for the populace to be aware of what the government is doing with the guise of regulation, and even the legal framework on small arms and light weapons within the various countries. If there’s enough sensitization I’m sure the civilian populace will see the danger inherent in the illegal possession of arms. And then again, the report was also very clear that in some countries, arms
exchanged, for example, if the owner dies, the children probably inherit the weapon without knowing the consequence or even what it means. Those are some of the gray areas that should be looked into. And then see how also artisanal manufacturers can be brought on board to make their practices legalized. With that, we will be making some substantial progress in that regard”, he said.

Earlier, in a keynote speech, the Deputy Director of UNREC, Dr. Jiaming Miao, lauded ECOWAS’s effort in curbing the situation ravaging lots of lives and properties across its member nations stressing that collaboration should be strengthened among all stakeholders to ensure a wide range of results.
“The unregulated civilian use, possession, and production of SALW have exacerbated armed violence, insurgency, terrorism, jihadist activities and crime in the sub-region. Therefore, it is essential that we work together to address this issue.
UNREC is committed to supporting regional organizations and member states in Africa to promote disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation. We recognize the importance of working collaboratively with our partners to identify and address the root causes of arms proliferation in the region.
The study we are reviewing today, which was implemented by ECOWAS Commission and funded by Organized Crime-West Africa Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T) and the GIZ Nigeria, provides valuable insights into the current state of civilian possession of arms and related licensing in the ECOWAS region, while promoting the harmonization of the processes, methodology, and procedures for the control of possession of SALW by civilians in accordance with the ECOWAS Convention on SALW and other relevant international frameworks regulating arms possession and transfer, particularly the Arms Trade Treaty.

“The study highlights several challenges, including poor physical security and management of state stockpiles, illicit transfer of weapons to criminal and insurgent groups, unsuccessful disarmament and weapon destruction programs, weak judicial systems, unresolved conflicts, and the emerging problem of artisanal manufacture of weapons. However, the study also identifies best practices that can be adopted to address these challenges.

“I am confident that the collective review of this study and the further refinement of draft operational guidelines on licensing will contribute significantly to efforts aimed at reducing the proliferation of SALW in the ECOWAS region. UNREC remains committed to supporting regional organizations and member states in their efforts to promote disarmament, arms control, and non-proliferation”, Jiaming added.

To retrospect superficially, West African Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T) support ECOWAS member states and Mauritania in reducing transnational organised crime (TOC). For this purpose, the project is strengthening national and regional structures and capacities and is fostering evidence – led policy and decision-making. Specially, we support efforts in enhancing criminal investigation and prosecution, improving small arms control and reducing human trafficking.

OCWAR-T is an ECOWAS project, commissioned by the German government and co-founded by the EU. GIZ jointly implements OCWAR-T with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, Mines Advisory Group, MAG, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, ICMPD, Institute for Security Studies, ISS, and the Global Initiative Against Organised Crime, GITOC.