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Africa: Curbing the Arms Trade?
AfricaFocus Bulletin
Mar 19, 2013 (130319)
(Reposted from sources cited below)
Editor's Note
The United Nations began new meetings this week to
finalize negotiations on an international treaty
governing trade in conventional arms. But enacting a
strong treaty without major loopholes faces many
obstacles, not least the fact that the five permanent
members of the UN Security Council are among the largest
exporters of conventional arms. And, in the United
States, the powerful National Rifle Association is
campaigning against the treaty.
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains (1) excerpts from a
press release and briefing by Amnesty International,
calling for a robust treaty and citing the obstacle posed
by the big five, and (2) excerpts from a press release
and fact sheet from the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI).
Despite the efforts of many organizations, tracking the
arms trade is still a complicated and often confusing
process. Small arms and light weapons, not included in
the SIPRI database of "major conventional weapons," are
particularly difficult to track.
With the exception of South Africa, African countries are
almost entirely importers rather than exporters of arms.
And, while the United States, Russia, Germany, France,
and China dominate the arms trade worldwide, in Africa
many smaller exporting countries sometimes play even
larger roles.
The SIPRI Arms Transfer database (http://www.sipri.org/databases/armstransfers)
can be used for reports on transfers of major conventional
weapons by country, now through 2012, although it does
not yet provide aggregate totals by region. For the period
2008-2012, the United States (#1) and Russia (#2)were
indeed the primary suppliers to Egypt. Russia
overwhelmingly dominated in supplies to Algeria, while
the U.S., France, and the Netherlands were the top
suppliers to Morocco. Although Uganda is a U.S. ally,
however, its top arms suppliers were Russia and the
Ukraine. The major suppliers to South Africa were Sweden
and Germany.
No treaty, of course, however strong the wording, can in
itself curb the flow of weapons. But how strong the
treaty is will be a good indicator of how willing major
powers are to making a start in serious regulation of the
trade.
Selected Additional Sources
Friends Committee on National Legislation - letter by
U.S. groups to President Obama
http://fcnl.org/ / direct URL: http://tinyurl.com/ch6nhtv
Official United Nations sites for Arms Trade Treaty
https://www.un.org/disarmament/convarms/ArmsTradeTreaty/
http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/
Arms Flows to Sub-Saharan Africa, SIPRI Policy Paper no.
30
December 2011
http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=435
Federation of American Scientists
Arms Sales Monitoring Project
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/asmp/index.html
++++++++++++++++++++++end editor's note+++++++++++++++++
World Powers Urged to Support a Robust Arms Treaty
Amnesty International
Press Release
AI Index: ACT30/001/2013
12 March 2013
[Full Amnesty report available at
http://tinyurl.com/bqwpaeh]
Arms supplied by the world's major powers are among those
contributing to the loss of hundreds of thousands of
lives and blighting the livelihoods of millions of people
every year, Amnesty International said in a new briefing
published just days before final negotiations on a global
Arms Trade Treaty open at the United Nations.
Between them, the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council - China, France, Russia, the UK and the
USA - are responsible for over half of the almost US$100
billion total annual global trade in conventional
weapons.
The same five states will be pivotal to finalizing an
effective Arms Trade Treaty with strong human rights
protections at the conference taking place at the UN from
18-28 March.
All this week in the run-up to that historic meeting,
Amnesty International activists and supporters are
holding a "Global Week of Action" to call on world
leaders to adopt an effective Arms Trade Treaty with
strong human rights protections.
"It's clear that the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council are responsible for the lion's share of
arms deals across borders - and so collectively they must
shoulder the greatest burden in bringing the poorly
regulated global arms trade in check," said Helen Hughes,
researcher on arms transfers at Amnesty International.
"Our research brings to light how China, France, Russia,
the UK and the USA have all engaged in arms deals that
fuelled atrocities, and we now urge them to help adopt an
effective Arms Trade Treaty that makes such irresponsible
transactions a thing of the past."
The 12-page briefing, Major powers fuelling atrocities,
includes examples of arms transfers from each of the five
countries to states around the world, where they are
likely to be used to commit or facilitate serious
violations of international humanitarian and human rights
law.
...
Amnesty International is pressing for the final treaty to
cover all types of weapons and munitions for use in
military and internal security operations, as well as
related equipment, parts and technology.
"No opt-outs should be allowed, and to be effective, the
treaty must have a 'Golden Rule' requiring states to halt
arms exports when there is a substantial risk the arms
will be used to commit or facilitate serious violations
of international humanitarian or human rights law," said
Brian Wood, Amnesty International's Head of Arms Control
and Human Rights.
"Also, the treaty should completely ban the transfer of
arms that would aid or assist in crimes under
international law, including extra-judicial killings,
torture and enforced disappearances."
...
"While it won't be a panacea for all of the world's
misuse of arms, if we get a strong Arms Trade Treaty it
will be an important step towards achieving much more
security and human rights protection for billions of
people who today live in fear," said Wood.
Major Powers Fuelling Atrocities: Why the World Needs a
Robust Arms Trade Treaty
March 2013
Amnesty International http://www.amnesty.org
Every year, thousands of people are killed, injured,
raped and forced to flee from their homes as a result of
abuses and atrocities committed with conventional arms
and ammunition. Harrowing testimonies and images from
conflict zones and human rights crises around the world
underline the urgent need to end irresponsible arms
transfers and illicit trafficking.
The UN process arising from worldwide civil society and
political pressure to negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty
(ATT), in order to establish international standards for
the control of the global arms trade, was supposed to
conclude in July 2012 at the month-long UN Conference on
the Arms Trade Treaty. Progress was made but the
Conference ended without agreement because of the
blocking tactics of a small minority of states. The draft
text of the Treaty includes several provisions that
address human rights but these provisions and other key
measures still need to be strengthened.
Since then, Amnesty International and hundreds of other
NGOs have continued their long campaigns to achieve an
effective ATT, and in March 2013 UN member states will
reconvene in New York for nine days of negotiations to
finalize this Treaty. Several states, including the
Permanent Five Members of the UN Security Council -
China, France, the Russian Federation, the UK and the USA
- are responsible for most of the world's conventional
arms sales and aid and they will be pivotal in deciding
whether an effective ATT predicated on respect for human
rights is concluded.
This briefing illustrates the role of each of the
Permanent Five in the global arms markets, and highlights
key measures in the Treaty that need to be improved.
Amnesty International is calling on political leaders and
state officials to use their influence to secure an
effective ATT by the end of March 2013.
China's small arms trade
Most of China's conventional arms are made by state-owned
companies. The main manufacturers of small arms and light
weapons (SALW) are the China North Industries Group
Corporation (Norinco Group) and the China South
Industries Group Corporation (CSGC). Between them, these
two companies manufacture all types of SALW, including
assault rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and
mortars and their associated ammunition.
Under Chinese legislation, weapons, munitions and related
equipment should only be exported from China by stateowned
export companies such as Norinco Corporation, which
is the main importer/ exporter for the Norinco Group and
CSGC, and Poly Technologies Inc, which supplied arms
carried on a ship headed for Zimbabwe in 2008, generating
an international outcry.
Chinese SALW have been found in countries subject to UN
Security Council arms embargoes, or where they are likely
to be used to commit or facilitate crimes under
international law or human rights abuses, amnesty
international march 2013 Index: aCt 30/001/2013 such as
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Darfur and
other regions of Sudan. It is not always known whether
China has supplied these directly, but Chinese weapons,
such as QLZ87 Automatic Grenade Launchers, have been seen
repeatedly in Darfur and more recently in Southern
Kordofan. In 2011, the UN Panel of Experts, which
monitors enforcement of the UN arms embargo on Darfur,
reported that significant volumes of small arms
ammunition used in Darfur by the Sudanese Armed Forces,
other security agencies and government-backed militia
groups appear to be Chinese-manufactured, carrying
marking-codes used by Chinese military corporations.
[for details see full report at
http://tinyurl.com/bqwpaeh]
France: Transferring Technology to Sudan
In Darfur the 10-year conflict continues with no sign of
resolution, and human rights violations have remained
widespread. Despite this, international attention has
shifted to other events in Sudan, including fighting
which erupted in Sudan's Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile
states in mid-2011. During 2011, government forces and
government-allied militia carried out attacks in Darfur,
including aerial bombardments, and there were ground
attacks by armed opposition groups in and around towns
and villages, including camps for internally displaced
people (IDPs). Rape and other forms of sexual violence by
government forces and allied militia against displaced
women and girls continued.
All the armed actors require all-terrain vehicles to
transport combatants through the vast Darfur deserts.
Some of these trucks are European models, assembled by
the local Sudanese GIAD Automotive Industry Company,
including the Renault Midlum trucks.
According to research by the International Peace
Information Service vzw (IPIS), a UK Unreported World
documentary on Darfur broadcast in 2008 included images
of a GIAD manufactured Renault Midlum truck in camouflage
colours. These were being used by the government-backed
Janjaweed militia who have committed gross human rights
violations. Between 2007 and 2009, Amnesty International
documented repeated attacks on civilians by the Janjaweed
in Darfur.
[for details see full report at
http://tinyurl.com/bqwpaeh]
Russian Arms Supplies to Syria
[see full report]
UK: Brokering and Brass Plate Companies
On 1 October 2008, the UK government extended a degree of
extra-territorial control over arms brokers to include
the international transfer of small arms and light
weapons, including important new controls on their
transportation. However, there is now increasing evidence
that UK "brass plate" companies are being used by foreign
arms brokers to facilitate the unlicensed supply of
weapons, munitions and related equipment to countries
where they are likely to be used to commit or facilitate
serious human rights violations. Numerous brass plate
companies have been registered in the UK with a UK
trading address, but owned by non-UK nationals.
...
UK Front Company "Arranges" Transport of Tanks to South
Sudan
UK brass plate companies were involved in an
international clandestine supply chain of several large
consignments of Ukrainianmade T-72 tanks, artillery,
multiple rocket launch systems, rocket propelled grenades
and assault rifles to the government of South Sudan, via
Kenya. Amnesty International's findings show that the
UKregistered Marine Energy Trading Company Ltd (METCO)
time-chartered the ship MV Radomyshl to carry the first
consignment of weapons. The MV Radomyshl, operated by the
Danube Shipping company of the Ukraine, departed from the
Ukrainian port of Oktyabrsk on 14 September 2007 and
arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, on 29 October 2007. Ace
Shipping Ltd of the Isle of Man time-chartered the second
arms shipment, which arrived on the Beluga Endurance,
departing from Oktyabrsk on 12 December 2007 and arriving
in Mombasa on 12 January 2008. The Ukrainian company,
Phoenix Transport Services, which arranged the arms
shipments, told Amnesty International, "the only reason
[for] using Ace Shipping Co during the vessel's
chartering is the simplification of accounting, as the
Ukrainian tax legislation is one of the most complicated
in the world".
[for details see full report at
http://tinyurl.com/bqwpaeh]
USA Supplies Ammunition to Yemen
[see full report]
Conclusion
These examples of international arms transfers by the
Permanent Five states, as well as many more by other arms
trading countries show why a strong Arms Trade Treaty is
needed. The absence of global standards to control the
arms trade between countries needs to be addressed
urgently and is costing hundreds of thousands of lives
and blighting the livelihoods of millions of people every
year.
To be effective the ATT must have a "Golden Rule" to
require all States Parties to refuse, suspend or revoke
authorization of an international transfer of arms that
poses a substantial risk of being used to commit or
facilitate serious violations of international human
rights law or international humanitarian law. It should
also be expressly prohibited under any circumstances for
a State Party to aid or assist another state with
conventional arms knowing the arms would more likely than
not be used by the receiving state to commit war crimes
or serious violations of human rights that are crimes
under international law, such as extrajudicial killings,
enforced disappearances and torture.
The scope of the ATT should also include all types of
weapons and munitions for use in military and internal
security operations, as well as related equipment, parts
and technology. Transfers should include international
trade and also gifts. Brokering, transport and financial
services for international arms transfers must be
regulated. Annual reports should cover data on all
transfers and activities and be open to public scrutiny.
No opt outs should be allowed. These strong rules would
help save many lives and protect livelihoods from
irresponsible arms transfers.
The ATT is not a panacea, but its achievement is an
essential part of the solution to achieve a much more
secure world for billions of people.
China Replaces UK as World's Fifth Largest Arms Exporter,
Says SIPRI
Press release, March 18, 2013
Contact: Stephanie Blenckner, Communications Director
Tel: +46 8 655 97 47, Mobile: +46 70 86 55 360, Email:
[email protected]
[Excerpts only. For full text, visit
http://www.sipri.org/media/pressreleases/2013
(Stockholm, 18 March 2013) China has become the fifth
largest exporter of major conventional arms worldwide,
according to new data on international arms transfers
published today by the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI). This is the first time China
has been in the top five arms exporters since the end of
the cold war. Overall, the volume of international
transfers of major conventional weapons grew by 17 per
cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12.
The five largest suppliers of major conventional weapons
during the five-year period 2008-12 were the United
States (30 per cent of global arms exports), Russia (26
per cent), Germany (7 per cent), France (6 per cent) and
China (5 per cent). This is the first time that the UK
has not been in the top five since at least 1950, the
earliest year covered by SIPRI data. China's displacement
of the UK is the first change in the composition of the
top five exporters in 20 years.
The volume of Chinese exports of major conventional
weapons rose by 162 per cent between 2003-2007 and
2008-2012, and its share of the volume of international
arms exports increased from 2 to 5 per cent.
...
*Imports by North African states increased by 350 per
cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12, which was almost
entirely responsible for a doubling (by 104 per cent) in
imports by Africa as a whole.
- Sub-Saharan imports increased by just 5 per cent. Most
countries in sub-Saharan Africa imported only small
numbers of major weapons, but many of these have been
used in internal conflicts or in interventions in
conflicts in neighbouring states, most recently in Mali.
For editors
The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database contains information on
all international transfers of major conventional weapons
(including sales, gifts and production licences) to
states, international organizations and armed non-state
groups from 1950 to the most recent full calendar year.
SIPRI data reflects the volume of deliveries of arms, not
the financial value of the deals. As the volume of
deliveries can fluctuate significantly year on year,
SIPRI presents data for 5-year periods, giving a more
stable measure of trends.
Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2012
SIPRI Fact Sheet
March 2013
{Excerpts only. For full text, see
http://tinyurl.com/cfrg8qv]
The volume of international transfers of major
conventional weapons was 17 per cent higher in the period
2008-12 than in 2003-2007. The five biggest exporters in
the period 2008-12 were the United States, Russia,
Germany, France and China. This is the first time since
the end of the cold war that a state from outside Europe
and North America has appeared among the five largest
arms exporters.
The five biggest importers in 2008-12 were India, China,
Pakistan, South Korea and Singapore. The flow of arms to
Asia and Africa increased notably between 2008-12 and
2003-2007, while flows to Europe and the Middle East
decreased.
...
From 18 March 2013 the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
includes newly released information on arms transfers
during 2012 (see box 1). This Fact Sheet describes the
trends in international arms transfers that are revealed
by the new data. ...
The Top 5 Exporters, 2008-12
The USA and Russia remained by far the largest exporters
of arms. The volume of arms exported by the top 5
suppliers in 2008-12 was 14 per cent higher than the
volume exported by the top 5 sup- pliers in 2003-2007;
however, their collective share of total exports dropped
from 78 per cent to 75 per cent. For the first five-year
period since 1950, the UK was not among the top 5
suppliers in 2008-12: China displaced it to become the
fifth largest exporter.
The Importers, 2008-12
...
The regional breakdown of arms deliveries has remained
relatively stable over the past 10 years. Asia and
Oceania accounted for almost half of imports of major
conventional weapons in 2008-12, followed by the Middle
East and Europe. There was a notable increase in the
shares of Asia and Oceania and Africa, and a clear
decrease for Europe and the Middle East.
Africa
Imports by African states increased 104 per cent between
2003-2007 and 2008-12. During 2003-2007 countries in subSaharan
Africa accounted for 71 per cent of the imports
to Africa; during 2008-12 these countries imported 5 per
cent more arms. In contrast, imports by North African
countries increased by 350 per cent in 2008-12 and
accounted for 64 per cent of imports by African states.
Algeria, Morocco and South Africa were by far the largest
arms importers in Africa in 2008-12.
Algeria and Morocco
The volume of deliveries to Algeria increased by 277 per
cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12 and it rose from 22nd
to 6th largest recipient.
Russia supplied 93 per cent of Algerian arms imports,
including 44 Su-30MKA combat aircraft, 2 Project-636
submarines, an estimated 3 S-300PMU-2 (SA-20B) long-range
surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and 185 T-90S tanks.
However, in 2011-12 Algeria turned to Germany for 2 MEKOA
200 frigates and for a first batch of 54 of a planned
1200 Fuchs armoured personnel carriers and to China for 3
F-22A frigates.
The volume of deliveries to Morocco increased by 1460 per
cent between 2003-2007 and 2008-12. Morocco rose from
being 69th largest recipient to 12th largest, with a
considerable volume of deliveries taking place during
2011-12. Morocco's imports during 2008-12 included 24
F-16C combat aircraft from the USA, 27 MF-2000 combat
aircraft from France, 3 SIGMA frigates from the
Netherlands and 54 Type-90-2 tanks from China.
Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa accounted for 24 per cent of imports by subSaharan
African states in 2008-12. However, having
completed a substantial modernization of its forces, its
imports were 40 per cent lower than in 2003-2007.
Uganda and Sudan were the second and third lar gest
importers in the region, accounting for 15 per cent and
12 per cent, respectively. The volume of Ugandan imports
during 2008-12 was almost 1200 per cent higher than in
2003-2007, mainly due to the delivery of 6 Su-30 combat
aircraft from Russia in 2011-12. The volume of Sudanese
imports for 2008-12 was 29 per cent lower than during
2003-2007 despite deliveries of 20 Mi-24 combat
helicopters from Russia, 15 Su-25 combat aircraft from
Belarus, and 160 T-72 and T-55 tanks from Ukraine during
2008-12.
West Africa
West African states have traditionally imported few major
weapons. The volume of imports to the region almost
doubled between 2003-2007 and 2008-12, but this still
only accounted for 1 per cent of the global total.
Nigeria was the largest importer in West Africa,
accounting for 42 per cent of the region's imports in
2008-12. Ships made up 36 per cent of West Africa's
imports, as maritime patrol assets were acquired to
combat increasing piracy and other illegal activities.
Small numbers of armoured vehicles, helicopters and
aircraft were also delivered to the region. Weapons
delivered in this period, such as F-7MG combat aircraft
delivered to Nigeria from China and armoured vehicles
delivered to Mali from Bulgaria, were used in the
conflict with rebels in northern Mali in 2012 and early
2013.
AfricaFocus Bulletin is an independent electronic
publication providing reposted commentary and analysis on
African issues, with a particular focus on U.S. and
international policies. AfricaFocus Bulletin is edited by
William Minter.
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