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Proliferation of Small Arms: A
Threat to Democracy
A GNA Feature by Francis Ameyibor
Accra, July 14, GNA - The increasing assassination of
individuals in the country and the proliferation of Small
Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in West Africa linked to the
highly disparaging nature of modern warfare, particularly
its impact on lives and property raises concern both in the
corridors of power and among civil society.
These killings had raised much concern and created a state
of fear and insecurity. This state of mind was confirmed
recently by civil society operatives at a workshop organised
by the West African Action Network on Small Arms Control, (WAANSA)
in Cote d'Ivoire.
The participants from across the sub-region unanimously
confirmed that the proliferation of SALW had created a sense
of insecurity among individuals and was threatening the
stability of a country not at war, and make the countries
prone to eruption of conflict.
A sample interview conducted by Ghana News Agency among
serving Military and Police Senior Officers confirmed that
the threats were real, in terms of a reiteration or an
outbreak of a new conflict and the unconstitutional change
of government.
They revealed that the potential usage of SALW exist not
only in conflict countries but also in countries perceived
to be relatively stable and peaceful with prospects of
consolidating basic tenets of democracy and good governance,
especially Ghana, as the nation prepares for a major
elections.
The Security Experts noted: "these threats remain salient as
the re-cycling of former combatants from one civil war to
new terrain, especially to countries perceived to be stable
were possible.
A leading small arms analyst and scholar, Mr. Baffour Dokyi
Amoa, told the GNA that recent spate of assassination of
influential personalities and threats of assassination of
some political heavyweights in society and media
practitioners were a reflection of the country having its
own share of the impact of SALW.
Mr. Amoa, who is also the President and Programme Manager,
West African Action Network Small Arms Control Programme (ECOSAP)
called for immediate action to control the looming danger
before Ghana becomes a fertile haven for former combatants
to ply their trade.
The vagueness that characterize stability in the West Africa
sub-region becomes even more deep-rooted, when a nation
shows relatively stable and peaceful disposition and "seen
to be consolidating its democracy through peaceful elections
and begins to attain an enviable status among its peers in
the region.
"A rapid ratification of the ECOWAS Convention of SALW
within the sub-regional conflict framework could serve as
suitable response to either eliminate or reduce the
potential threat to the stability of countries and enhance
both state and human security in the region."
SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM
The need to stem or control the nationwide "flood" of SALW
has in recent years risen rapidly in the country as there
are increasing usage of arm robbery, targeted killings and
other nefarious activities.
Aside from their role in armed conflicts, these weapons are
being widely used to terrorize and control populations, to
influence politics, and to gain a livelihood.
In many places, desperate and impoverished people often turn
to violent means to gain a foothold in society, the result
being growing insecurity, and a culture of violence.
It affects the intensity and duration of violence and
encourages militancy rather than a peaceful resolution of
unsettled differences; serve as a major difficult arms
control and disarmament issues to address, for a wide
variety of reasons.
DEFINITION OF SALW
The 1997 Report of the United Nations Panel of Government
Experts on Small Arms defined small arms as weapons designed
for personal use, and light weapons as those designed for
use by several persons serving as a crew.
The category of small arms includes: revolvers and self
loading pistols, rifles and carbines, assault rifles, sub
machine guns and light machine guns. Light weapons include
heavy machine guns, hand-held under-barrel and mounted
grenade launchers, portable anti-tank and anti-aircraft
guns, recoilless rifles, portable launchers of anti-tank and
anti-aircraft missiles and mortars of calibres less than
100mm.
The ammunition and explosives are considered to form an
integral part of the small arm trade. These small weapons
are only part of a larger trade that includes heavier and
more lethal weaponry, because they are cheap, easy to
transport and can be handled by ill-trained rebel soldiers
and even children.
The Sub-regional body, ECOWAS on the other hand defined
light weapons as portable arms designed to be used by
several persons working together in a team and which
included: heavy machine guns; portable grenade launchers,
mobile or mounted; portable anti-aircraft cannons; portable
anti-tank cannons, and non-recoil guns.
The rest were portable anti-tank missile launchers or rocket
launchers; portable anti-aircraft missile launchers; mortars
with a calibre of less than 100 millimetres.
Small Arms included arms used by one person and which
include notably: firearms and other destructive arms or
devices such as an exploding bomb, an incendiary bomb or a
gas bomb, a grenade, a rocket launcher, a missile, and a
missile system or landmine.
Other were revolvers and pistols with automatic loading;
rifles and carbines; machine guns; assault rifles; light
machine guns.
Devices destined to be shot or projected through the means
of firearms including among others: cartridges; projectiles
and missiles for light weapons; mobile containers with
missiles or projectiles for anti-aircraft or anti-tank and
single action systems were classified as ammunitions.
GLOBAL EFFORTS TO COMBAT SALW
PROLIFERATION
The uncontrolled proliferation of illicit small arms and
light weapons (SA/LW) in regions of the world suffering from
political instability and violent conflict has proven a
major obstacle to peace, economic development, and efforts
to rebuild war-torn societies.
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