THE spread of small arms and light weapons (SALW) continues to pose a significant threat to international peace and security, particularly in conflict zones under UN sanctions, the Security Council heard over the weekend.
An informal meeting convened by Sierra Leone in New York noted: ‘The uncontrolled flow of weapons destabilises entire regions, routinely violates UN arms embargoes and exacerbates both conflict and humanitarian crises.’
Sierra Leone demands stronger enforcement
Michael Kanu, Sierra Leone’s ambassador to the UN, said that although the Security Council ‘has recognised this threat by integrating arms embargoes into sanctions regimes… enforcement remains a challenge’.
Kanu continued: ‘The question now is whether we rise to the occasion to tackle illicit small arms and ammunition, or if we allow inaction to deepen global insecurity.
‘Despite 14 active arms embargoes, compliance is often weak and nearly every recent embargo has been systematically violated by determined traffickers and porous borders.
‘This compromises the credibility of the regimes, prolongs conflicts and fuels criminal activities.
‘Strengthening control measures, such as managing and disposing of seized weapons, is vital for halting rearmament, supporting peace processes and enabling the disarmament and reintegration of ex-combatants.
‘We invite open and practical dialogue, seeking actionable ideas to strengthen sanctions regimes, enforce arms embargoes, address criminality and support post-conflict recovery. Sierra Leone calls for a collaborative spirit to achieve solutions that save lives and foster enduring peace,’ Kanu added.
AU links arms flow to regional violence
Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the African Union High Representative for Silencing the Guns, pointed out that SALW ‘by themselves, are not the cause of conflicts in Africa.’
‘But their widespread availability continues to fuel violence by providing easy access to the tools of war, particularly for non-state actors such as rebel groups, militias and criminal networks operating across difficult terrains.
‘In the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and Central Africa, the presence and illegal circulation of SALW often transform localised political crises into cross-border conflicts that pose regional threats.’
He said what was surprising was that ‘despite the existence of UN arms embargoes in several African contexts, enforcement remains far from achieving its goals’.
Chambas highlighted the Africa Amnesty Month (AMM), marked each September, which seeks to reduce the illegal circulation of SALW across the continent. The programme encourages citizens to voluntarily surrender illicit firearms to the authorities without disclosing their identity or facing prosecution.
UN urged to integrate arms into mandates
Adedeji Ebo, deputy to the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the meeting that even though more than 1.7 million weapons were destroyed between 2018 and 2023, ‘there are still over a billion firearms in global circulation’.
He added: ‘Their proliferation is a testament to both the multiplication of security crises around the world and the global reach of illicit arms trade networks, which fuel each other in a vicious cycle of violence and instability.’
‘The question now is whether we rise to the occasion to tackle illicit small arms and ammunition, or if we allow inaction to deepen global insecurity.
‘The Security Council has a central role to play in turning this trajectory around. I urge the Council to integrate small arms and ammunition considerations into the Council’s products and mandates,’ Ebo said.
