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First Regional Seminar on MANPADS.
A MANPADS weapon being launched against a target in the air. Photo courtesy of Nelson Alusala, Senior Researcher, Institute of Security Studies.
Against a backdrop of often-conflicting reports on the extent of proliferation of MANPADS in the region, RECSA commissioned a study seeking to clarify some of the basic trends in the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa.
The findings of the study formed the basis for the first regional seminar on MANPADS in Africa. The meeting was hosted by RECSA with funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.
Opening remarks were made by Kenya’s Assistant Minister of State for Defence, Major Gen. (rtd.) Joseph Nkaissery, and the US Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Rannenberger and RECSA’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Francis Sang.
H.E. Ambassador Lincoln P. Bloomfield Jr., the U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy on MANPADS Threat Reduction, made remarks during the closing ceremony.
Photo of used SA-7 missile launchers recovered in one of the countries in the Great Lakes Region.Photo by Nelson Alusala, Senior Researcher, Institute of Security Studies.
The seminar brought together senior officials from Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Departments of Defence from RECSA Member States, National Focal Point Coordinators on Small Arms Management, representatives from regional bodies in Africa that address small arms issues, representatives from Regional Economic Communities from around Africa, the UN, and experts on MANPADS from the United States and the UK.
In addition to discussing MANPADS proliferation in light of the study sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom, participants took stock of the current MANPADS intervention initiatives by countries in the region, and initiate dialogue on the management and control of the weapons.
MANPADS, commonly described as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, are short-range surface-to-air weapons designed to be fired by an operator on the ground. Based on their ease of use and portability, they proliferate like small arms/light weapons and are therefore categorised as such.
The failed attack on an Israeli airliner in Mombasa, Kenya in 2002, and successful attacks against aircrafts elsewhere over the years illustrate the danger posed by the proliferation of illegal MANPADS.
RECSA Chairman visits Member States.
Mr Sang and Hon. Bunyoni pay a courtesy call on the Seychelles Vice-President, His Excellency Joseph Belmont (second from right). Looking on is Police Commissioner Ernest Quatre, the Seychelles NFP Coordinator.
The Chairman of the RECSA Council of Ministers, Hon. Alain G. Bunyoni, has been accompanied by the Executive Secretary, Mr Francis Sang, on a tour of Member States.
The main purpose of the visits is to remind Member States of the commitments they made on signing up to the Nairobi Declaration and the Nairobi Protocol. In addition to addressing the problem of small arms, Member States pledged to make yearly financial contributions towards the running of the RECSA Secretariat.
The Governments of the Member States have been impressed upon to strengthen
the National Focal Point offices by appointing fulltime qualified staff and providing financial support. At the same time the visits have emphasised the need for implementation of the Nairobi Protocol and the importance of developing National Action Plans on small arms to boost efforts to combat proliferation of illegal SALW.
The ES and Chairman have so far visited Djibouti, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Sudan and Tanzania. The next leg of the regional tour will target Rwanda and Uganda.
* Hon. Bunyoni is also the Burundi Minister for Public Security.
Member States to Step up Arms Marking.
Mr. Francis K. SANG, The RECSA Executive Secretary (Left) and the Kenya Commissioner of Police, Major General Hussein Ali at the Workshop opening ceremony.
RECSA’s 12 Member countries from the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States have renewed their commitment to mark their weapons by December 2008. This is in accordance with the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms, and the Best Practice Guidelines.
Member States are to ensure that all state owned firearms and those held legally by civilians are marked at the time of import, with a simple marking permitting identification of the country of import and the year of import, and an individual serial number so that the source of the small arm or light weapon can be traced.
The mark on each weapon should uniquely identify each firearm.
This renewed commitment was reaffirmed at the end of a Regional Arms Marking and Recordkeeping workshop held in Mombasa, Kenya from 31st March to 4th April. The meeting brought together RECSA, National Focal Point Coordinators, and officers from the Military and Police from the 12 countries, and the East African Community. The meeting was officially opened by the Kenya Commissioner of Police, Major General Hussein Ali, MGH, MBS.
The meeting recommended the use of electronic machines over the manual system to speed up the marking process. The former can mark up to 1,500 weapons a day, while the latter can only manage 500.
The computerised system has the additional advantage of data generation when marking, thus ensuring effective record keeping of information on small arms. Availability of these records will enhance effective stockpile management of all legal weapons within a country.
A number of RECSA Member States have already embarked on marking their arms with a view to meeting this deadline – Rwanda and Uganda. However, the process remains slow as in some cases the marking is undertaken manually.
The 8th Anniversary of the Signing of the Nairobi Declaration.
Burundi Army officials prepare for the symbolic arms destruction during the Nairobi Declaration Day.
RECSA, in collaboration with the Technical Committee on Disarmament of Civilians (CTDC) of Burundi, marked the Nairobi Declaration Day on March 15th 2008 in Bujumbura.
The Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States was signed in 2000. This followed a growing concern in the region that the easy availability of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) escalates conflicts, undermines political stability and has devastating impacts on human and state security.
The Nairobi Declaration enhances regional cooperation and coordination to comprehensively address the problem posed by illicit small arms and light weapons in the sub-region.
The Nairobi Declaration Day is used as a platform to raise awareness on issues of SALW. Among the key objectives of marking the day is the sensitisation of the public on the importance of their active involvement in addressing the problem of SALW.
Various activities were undertaken to mark the Day this year. These included a visit to hospitalised victims of SALW, a symbolic destruction of 122 firearms, a street procession which culminated at the Buyenzi Stadium with cultural dances, presentations by theatre and dance groups, and speeches.
Participants during the commemoration included Government officials from various departments including the Minister of Public Security of the Government of Burundi, Hon. Alain Guillaume Bunyoni who is also the Chairman of the RECSA Council of Ministers; diplomats; the UN; the media; school children and members of the public.
RECSA Chairman Visits Member States.
The RECSA Executive Secretary, Mr Francis Sang, accompanied the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Hon. Alain G. Bunyoni, on a tour of four Member States between 19th and 28th February.
Hon. Bunyoni is also the Burundi Minister for Public Security.
The main purpose of the visits was to solicit Member States’ contributions to RECSA from the Governments of Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia as agreed in the First Extra-Ordinary Council of Ministers’ Meeting in Kampala, Uganda in April 2006.
This was the first leg in a series of tours that will see the Minister visit all the 12 Member States with a similar agenda.
The Minister and the Executive Secretary impressed upon the Governments of the four countries to strengthen the National Focal Point offices by appointing fulltime coordinators to oversee SALW programmes. The offices also need financial support to enable them to carry out administrative tasks and to implement relevant programmes. The visit further emphasised the need for the development of National Action Plans on small arms to boost efforts to combat proliferation of illegal SALW.
The call provided the Hon. Minister and the Executive Secretary an opportunity to discuss at length progress in the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol in the particular countries.
RECSA and IC/GLR Sign Agreement
RECSA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (IC/GLR).
A ceremony to mark the signing was held at the RECSA offices in Nairobi between the Executive Secretary, Mr Francis K. Sang, and the Executive Secretary of IC/GLR, Ambassador Liberata Mulamula.
The MOU will provide a framework for the implementation by RECSA of the IC/GLR Small Arms Project to fight against the illegal proliferation of small arms in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States.
This agreement between the two organisation is in recognition of RECSA’s mandate to coordinate action against illicit small arms and light weapons proliferation in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States. This is in line with the Nairobi Protocol and the Nairobi Declaration.
The IC/GLR’s objective is to bring all the countries of the region together, for them to dialogue and agree on a strategy to bring peace and prosperity to the Great Lakes region
The RECSA/IC-GLR agreement will see the former organisation work in four other countries in addition to its 12 Member States, i.e. Zambia, Angola, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo.
The objectives of the MOU are to:
1.Provide a framework for cooperation between the Conference Secretariat and RECSA with respect to the implementation of the Project on Coordination of Activities and Reinforcement of Capacities in the sub-region to Fight the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
2.Provide a basis for the joint implementation of common policies and strategies aimed at putting an end to the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in accordance with the Nairobi Protocol on the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States.
3.Strengthen the capacity of IC/GLR Secretariat to assist its Member States to design and implement comprehensive national small arms control and reduction programmes.
The Agreement establishing RECSA agreed by 12 Member States mandates the organisation to enter into agreements with other regional, intergovernmental and civil society organisations.
RECSA Deputy Executive Secretary Sworn In
During their 2nd Extra-Ordinary meeting in October 2007, the RECSA Council of Ministers appointed Ambassador Midonzi Tharcisse as the Deputy Executive Secretary for a period of four years.
Ambassador Tharcisse has a wealth of experience, having served as Burundi’s Ambassador in a number of countries including Ethiopia, Rwanda and Canada. He has also served as the Burundi National Focal Point Coordinator and is well versed on issues of small arms and light weapons.
His appointment comes at a time when RECSA is undergoing a transitional period in the process of boosting its operational capacity.
Following the recommendations of a Functional Analysis carried out in 2006 on the restructuring of RECSA, the organisation is currently undergoing a process of strengthening of its staff base to better enable it to fulfil its mandate. Recruitment of new staff is ongoing, with a number of key positions already filled through competitive recruitment processes.
This process will enable it to better coordinate regional implementation of the Nairobi Protocol and the Nairobi Declaration in continuing efforts to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States.
Ambassador Tharcisse is married with three children.
RECSA granted UN Observer Status
A draft resolution on RECSA’s Observer Status was considered and adopted during a recent sitting of the Sixth Committee of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly.
The resolution was sponsored by Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Costa Rica, Mali, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Nigeria and Niger.
RECSA was officially granted the Centre Observer Status to the United Nations from 6th December 2007.
The Status will enable RECSA to advance its objectives at the UN level through interaction with other countries and international organisations involved in tackling the problem of small arms and light weapons.
RECSA Hosted at the United Nations
During a recent trip to New York to attend the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the RECSA Executive Secretary, Mr Francis Sang, took the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the President of the Session, H.E. Mr. Srgjan Kerim (former Foreign Minister of Macedonia) in his office at the UN Headquarters.
Mr Sang briefed H.E. Kerim on the region’s progress in implementing the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat, and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspect (UNPoA).
The President acknowledged the work done in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States. He noted that the complex nature of the problem of proliferation of illegal small arms and light weapons affects peace, socio-economic development, stability, democracy and good governance. He assured RECSA of the UN’s support in its work to combat the problem in the sub-region.
H.E. Kerim promised to include RECSA in his agenda during his planned visit to Kenya in the near future.
During his visit to New York, Mr Sang also took the opportunity to separately brief H.E. Mr. Paul Badji (Chairman of the First Committee - Senegal) and H.E. Mr. Alexei Tulbure (Chairman of the Sixth Committee - Republic of Moldova). The former Committee is responsible for Disarmament and International Security whereas the latter handles legal issues.
The two committees with four others constituted at the beginning of each Session of the General Assembly consider the provisional agenda and supplementary list and make recommendations to the General Assembly.
The United Nations Considers RECSA’s Observer Status
The Fourth RECSA Ministerial Review Conference held in Kampala, Uganda on April 17th, 2007 mandated RECSA to seek Observer Status with the UN. The process kicked off immediately.
The draft resolution on RECSA’s Observer Status was sponsored by Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Ghana, Malawi, Costa Rica, Mali, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Lesotho, Nigeria and Niger.
On 19th October, 2007 in the Sixth Committee of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the Kenya Solicitor General, Mr Wanjuki Muchemi, read a statement on behalf of other RECSA Member States making a case for the organisation to be granted the Status. Other supporting statements were made by representatives of Sierra Leone, Uganda, Lesotho and Nigeria.
The Sixth Committee considered the item and adopted the draft resolution without a vote. The issue will be passed on for consideration by the UN General Assembly in December 2007 for full granting of the Observer Status.
Once granted, the Status will enhance the Centre’s capacity to advance its objectives through interaction with countries and international organisations in tackling the problem posed by proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The 2nd Extraordinary Council of Ministers’ Meeting Held in Nairobi
The highest RECSA organ, the Council of Ministers, met in Nairobi on 15th October in conformity with the Special Resolution passed at the 4th Ministerial Review Conference held in Kampala in April 2007.
The Meeting was attended by Ministers and Plenipotentiaries from the Member States of Burundi, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, senior officials from the Government of Kenya and heads of diplomatic missions of Member States resident in Nairobi.
The countries represented are signatories to the Nairobi Declaration on the Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa, and the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons. Although Seychelles did not attend the 2nd Extraordinary Council of Ministers’ Meeting, it is also a signatory to the Protocol.
The objectives of the meeting included updating the Council of Ministers by the Executive Secretary of RECSA of progress made over the last six months in its mandate to combat the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States.
The forum also deliberated on key policy issues that impact RECSA’s work in coordinating action against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the region.
Ambassador Midonzi Tharcisse from Burundi was appointed as the Deputy Executive Secretary for a term of four years renewable once.
RECSA participates in Informal Meeting on Transfer Control Principles for Small Arms and Light Weapons
The proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW) fuels armed conflict and crime, hampers humanitarian assistance and impedes sustainable development, resulting in the loss of more than 1,000 lives each day worldwide.
Strengthening the global regulatory framework governing the transfer of small arms and light weapons has great potential to mitigate this situation and is a priority for many States.
Effective controls over the transfer of SALW are essential to combat the illicit trade, while respecting the legal trade. Over the years, States have established a wide variety of national regimes and regional and multilateral instruments to control the transfer of arms. These efforts are guided by work undertaken at the global level.
Consistent with Section III of the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (Programme of Action), the above meeting was convened by the Government of Canada in Geneva from 27th to 31st August 2007. More than 100 governments and over 40 UN agencies, Regional and civil society organizations attended the meeting. In total there over 300 participants.
The primary objective of the meeting was to identify and/or refine global principles to govern the transfer of small arms and light weapons throughout the world, building upon previous work done by governments and civil society. Attention was also given to matters critical to the implementation of such principles.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to hold discussions on small arms issues e.g. the progress and challenges in the implementation of the International Instrument to Trace Illicit SALW adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2005.
RECSA was represented in Geneva by the Executive Secretary, Mr Francis K. Sang. He made two presentations:
 Small arms and light weapons transfer controls and mechanisms: The Great Lakes and Horn of Africa Region Experience
Tracing Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons: Progress and challenges in the implementation of the International Tracing Instrument in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa Sub-region.
The marking of weapons using the new marking machines RECSA will be purchasing soon generated a lot of interest from participants during the side events meeting.
Given the informal nature of the meeting, no concrete resolutions were made. However, transit states stressed the need for governments of exporting, importing and transit countries to be involved in decisions relating to the authorization of international small arms transfers.
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