Searched the resource database for : All Results AND Topic=Small Arms, Light Weapons and Landmines
Haven't found what you are looking for? To further refine your search: Click on the 'advanced search' menu to filter by title, abstract, source, and/or publication date; to include or exclude multiple resource categories, regions or topics.
Abstract: Yemen has suffered from internal conflicts and clashes for several years, resulting in severe disruptions of services, lack of security for the population and a large number of internally displaced people. The internal security threats include three distinct elements: a conflict in the north; a secessionist movement in the south; and the threat posed by terrorist elements.
Abstract: IKV Pax Christi strives to enhance the protection of civilians in conflict. In the report, IKV Pax Christi expresses her concern about the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
From relatively simple improvised explosive devices to advanced aircraft-delivered bombs and missiles, all explosive weapons share certain characteristics that make their use in populated areas especially dangerous for civilian populations. By projecting a blast wave and shrapnel, explosive weapons indiscriminately damage the area around the point of detonation, making no distinction between soldiers or civilians. Furthermore, explosive weapons can also destroy critical infrastructure and frequently pose a long-term risk to populations in the form of unexploded ordnance. For these and other reasons, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas urgently needs to be addressed.
The report provides an overview of recent debates on the use of these weapons, existing agreements in International Humanitarian Law, and the consequences of the use of these weapons for civilians when used in populated areas.
Abstract: Explosive weapons use in populated areas raises concerns on various grounds,
including from the point of view of armed violence reduction, international
humanitarian law implementation, public health and environmental
protection. This paper will focus on the challenges that the use of explosive
weapons in populated areas poses for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Building on a background paper prepared earlier this year for the Discourse on
Explosive Weapons project symposium held on 29 April 2010 in Geneva, and
on discussions at the symposium, this document seeks to address some commonly
heard questions about the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the
implications for policy.
Abstract: Cash for guns or buy-back programmes in post-conflict states have fallen out of favour as a method of ridding a society of weapons, and have been replaced by often elaborate schemes designed to remove money from the equation, but the debate continues as to the best way forward.
The disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) community has grappled for years with buy-back practices and acknowledges they can have a profound effect on the nature of peace and even encourage a return to conflict. However, sometimes they can be termed “good practice”.
Nelson Alusala, author of a monograph published recently by the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies - entitled Reintegrating ex-Combatants in the Great Lakes Region, and charting the largest DDR programme ever undertaken to support about 400,000 ex-combatants in nine countries - outlines the dangers of buy-back.
Abstract: In November 2009, the massacre of 57 people in the
province of Maguindanao in Mindanao garnered
global attention. Directed by the politically powerful
Ampatuan clan, against the family members of
their political rivals, the Mangudadatu, many of the
individuals accused of participating in the massacre
belonged to Civilian Volunteer Organizations - CVOs -
controlled by the Ampatuans. Such CVOs
were recruited and funded by the local government
units - LGUs - which form a core part of the country’s
national security policy. Despite the fact that
they were under the control of the LGUs they had
come to effectively serve as the private army of the
Ampatuans.
This was a graphic example of an everyday
phenomenon in Mindanao where private armies,
militia, "civilian defense forces" and vigilante forces
have become indistinguishable. The Philippines is
marked by weak and fragmented public security
which is dominated by lethal clan rivalries, dynastic
politics and underdevelopment. Weak and poorly
implemented gun laws mean weapons are readily
available and often used. Militia have evolved to be
actors in armed violence and violent conflict across
Mindanao, particularly Muslim Mindanao which
is predominantly the focus of this report.
Abstract: The East African region has long confronted the challenge of small arms and
light weapons (SALW) proliferation. The history of small arms in the region goes back
to pre-colonial times, when sprawling gun markets existed in Maji, south-western
Ethiopia. At that time the Karamoja region (including those areas currently under
Kenyan and Ugandan administration) was a key destination for incoming arms.
Subsequently the anti-colonial Mau Mau struggle in 1950s Kenya is believed to have
introduced arms to urban areas, while recurrent instability in late 20th Century
Uganda worsened the small arms situation there.
Many linked factors drive demand for small arms in contemporary Kenya and Uganda.
At the local level, inter-group animosities between ethnic groups or clans in poorly
policed and under-developed pastoralist-inhabited areas are a key factor.1 Pastoralist
groups inhabit arid or semi-arid areas and are naturally in competition for scarce water
points and pastureland. Although low-intensity violence, above all revolving around
cattle raiding, has been an enduring feature of the region, the influx of automatic
weaponry has transformed its nature, intensified its human cost and transformed a
range of societal relationships.2 In the absence of effective and accessible state security
provision in these areas, small arms are naturally seen as a guarantor of security. In
turn localised illicit arms transfers are also a source of income.
Abstract: This working paper is written against a background of continued formation of national
co-ordination mechanisms for the control of SALW globally and the persistent
question as to whether existing and emerging structures are living up to expectations.
It assesses the achievements and challenges faced by two such structures, namely the
National Focal Points for SALW (NFPs) control in Kenya and Uganda, while also
examining the record of a supporting regional body, the Regional Centre on Small
Arms (RECSA). Preliminary conclusions and recommendations are drawn at the
end of the paper targeting RECSA, the two governments and also external actors like
donors and civil society. A combination of desk research and selected interviews with
NFP staff and external stakeholders informed the research.
Kenya and Uganda have been selected for analysis because they were among the first
countries in the East African region to establish co-ordination bodies following agreement
of the Nairobi Declaration on the Problem of the Proliferation of the Illicit Small
Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa (the ‘Nairobi
Declaration’) in the year 2000 and as such have had sufficient time to demonstrate
both successes and failings. The paper does not claim to be a comprehensive study on
the effectiveness of NFPs in the region as this would require more substantial research
and many more case studies. It does however provide an overview of the issues affecting
SALW control efforts in the region which can be built on in subsequent research.
Abstract: In 2012 the United Nations will convene a conference to negotiate an arms trade treaty. The resulting treaty is expected to legally obligate states to provide information on their arms transfers and transfer control systems. This Policy Paper provides the first comprehensive overview of existing UN instruments that require states to report on their arms transfers, transfer controls and enforcement measures. It outlines the types of information required to assess compliance with an ATT, extracts lessons learned from the existing instruments and identifies areas of duplication. By highlighting the challenges that states face when reporting to existing mechanisms, providing constructive solutions and emphasizing the positive contributions to be made by non-governmental organizations, this report lays the foundation for a relevant and robust ATT reporting mechanism.
Abstract: The drafting of an arms trade treaty represents a unique opportunity to define common state responsibilities for exercising control over the different stages of the arms transfer process and, as a result, prevent illicit and destabilizing arms transfers. Import controls represent a vital tool for helping to prevent cases of illicit diversion. They can also enable importer countries to play their part in preventing arms from being used to fuel conflicts or facilitate human rights abuses.
This paper provides an overview of existing international and regional agreements and best practices for controls on arms imports. It discusses national implementation and enforcement of import controls, paying particular attention to licensing procedures, customs controls and the production and issuing of end-user certificates and other similar documentation. Improved standards in all of these areas could play an important role in reducing illicit and destabilizing arms transfers. A case study of transfers of AK 47 rifles from Bosnia to the United Kingdom demonstrates how poor enforcement of import controls can facilitate the diversion of small arms and light weapons.
Abstract: The loss by many states of the monopoly of the legitimate use of force has contributed significantly to the proliferation of failed and failing states worldwide. In such states, a multitude of threats, including insurgencies, terrorist networks, transnational organized crime, and illicit shadow economies, flourish. These states often become trapped in cycles of violent conflict that threaten stability and security at home, in their neighborhoods, and throughout the world. States emerging from conflict are highly prone to return to conflict within the first few years of postconflict status. The widespread availability of lethal weapons exacerbates the tensions that already permeate conflict and postconflict environments.
The mechanism of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) is widely acknowledged to be an essential component of successful peacekeeping, peace-building, postconflict management, and state-building. Security sector reform (SSR) has emerged as a promising though poorly understood tool for consolidating stability and establishing sovereignty after conflict. While DDR enables a state to recover the monopoly (or at least the preponderance) of force, SSR provides the opportunity for the state to establish the legitimacy of that monopoly.
The essays in this book reflect the diversity of experience in DDR and SSR in various contexts. Despite the considerable experience acquired by the international community, the critical interrelationship between DDR and SSR and the ability to use these mechanisms with consistent success remain less than optimally developed. DDR and SSR are essential tools of modern statecraft, but their successful use is contingent upon our understanding of both the affinities and the tensions between them. These essays aim to excite further thought on how these two processes—DDR and SSR—can be implemented effectively and complimentarily to better accomplish the shared goals of viable states and enduring peace.
Abstract: IANSA member TransArms and research institute International Peace Information Service - IPIS - have released a report on the role of private aviation companies in arms transfers. "The Arms Flyers. Commercial Aviation, Human Rights, and the Business of War and Arms" outlines how private aviation companies have provided logistic support for the deployment and mobility of troops and military equipment; the establishment of supply chains of arms and ammunition; and the transport of people and goods in and out of conflict zones.
It also offers an analysis of international and national laws on the transport of weapons by air, and includes case studies that document the involvement of aviation companies in arms supply chains and operation which have resulted in human rights violations.
Abstract: This report analyses the role of global arms trade in civil wars, focusing specifically on Sri Lanka. The war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - ltte - was one of the world’s most violent and long-lasting armed conflicts. An estimated 84 000 people lost their lives, while hundreds of thousands were displaced. Severe human rights abuses accompanied the armed conflict, which started in 1983 and ended with a government military victory over the ltte in 2009 – a victory that, however, did not end the underlying conflicts that had caused the war.
The experiences from Sri Lanka vividly illustrates how contemporary armed conflicts remain one of the most pressing global problems, causing death, displacement, poverty, social divides and personal trauma. Civil wars such as the one in Sri Lanka are enabled by weapons provided through the global arms trade. A global process is currently under way, aiming to develop an Arms Trade Treaty - att - – a comprehensive and binding agreement that would control the international trade in conventional weapons. The treaty is being negotiated in a series of preparatory committee meetings, leading up to a negotiating conference in 2012.
This in-depth study of arms supplies to Sri Lanka aims to contribute to the debate about arms trade and a potential international treaty. The report illustrates the workings of the global arms trade and the limitations of current arms trade regulations, while also connecting the arms deals to its real consequences in armed conflict. The report shows how the arms trade was part of and has affected both the conflict and conflict resolution attempts in Sri Lanka. It looks at the human suffering and economic consequences of the war, investigates from where the Sri Lankan government and the ltte obtained their weapons and, finally, identifies the gaps between arms trade regulations and the rhetoric by international actors, on the one hand, and the practices of arms trade on the other.
Abstract: Since 2007 Security Council Report has been tracking the implementation of Security Council thematic
decisions on children and armed conflict in individual country-specific situations and publishing the results
of this research in “cross-cutting” reports. In general, the research shows that there has been an upward
trend in the incorporation of children and armed conflict issues into the country-specific work of the council
although there are some areas where implementation of key resolutions on children and armed conflict is
weak. This is our fourth Cross-Cutting Report on Children and Armed Conflict and we continue to detail key
trends over the past year and to suggest options for improving Council and Working Group decision making
on this issue. This report builds on the previous reports released in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Abstract: Colombia currently accounts for the vast bulk of cocaine produced in
Latin America. In 2009, the country produced 270 metric tons (MT)
of cocaine, making it the principal supplier for both the United States
and the worldwide market. Besides Colombia, Peru and Bolivia constitute
two additional important sources of cocaine in Latin America.
In 2009, these two countries generated enough base material to respectively
yield 225 and 195 MT of refined product.
Between 60 and 65 percent of all Latin American cocaine is trafficked
to the United States, the bulk of which is smuggled via the eastern
Pacific/Central American corridor. The remainder is sent through
the Caribbean island chain, with the Dominican Republic, Puerto
Rico, and Haiti acting as the main transshipment hubs. In both cases,
Mexico serves as the main point of entry to mainland America, presently
accounting for the vast majority of all illicit drug imports to the
United States.
Abstract: This report urges Congress and the Administration to strengthen firearms laws to stem drug-relating violence, citing report that 70% of weapons recovered in Mexico originated from the United States.
Firearms are trafficked from the United States to Mexico and into the hands
of the country’s drug trafficking organizations. Congress has been virtually
moribund while powerful Mexican drug trafficking organizations continue to gain
unfettered access to military-style firearms coming from the United States.
In a June 2009 report, the Government Accountability Office stated that
around 87 percent of firearms seized by Mexican authorities and traced over the
previous five years originated in the United States.
In a June 9, 2011 response to an inquiry from Senator Feinstein, Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Kenneth
Melson stated that of the 29,284 firearms recovered in Mexico in 2009 and 2010
and submitted to the ATF National Tracing Center, 20,504 were United Statessourced.
A country of origin for the remaining firearms could not be determined
by ATF. A copy of this letter and the request letter from Senator Feinstein are
attached in the report appendix.
In 2009, according to tracing data from the ATF, the most frequently
recovered caliber of firearms in Mexico included .223 caliber, 7.62 mm, 9 mm, .22
caliber and 5.7 mm. Other than the .22 caliber, these firearms are the most
commonly found assault rifle and assault pistol calibers in the United States.
Firearms recovered in Mexico overwhelmingly come from the Southwest
border. The Government Accountability Office found that between Fiscal Year
2004 and 2008, approximately 70 percent of firearms traced in Mexico to an
original owner in the United States came from Texas (39 percent), California (20
percent), and Arizona (10 percent).
Abstract: It is an existing reality that one of the leading threats to human survival in Africa is conflict, violence and war. The end of the decades of colonialism and Cold War had brought hope for the end of conflicts in Africa since most African countries involved in the conflict were battlegrounds as a result of the clash between colonial powers and the indigenous people and the subsequent East and West rivalry. Though certain conflicts came to an end, the situation did not change much as both inter and intra-state conflicts continued to dominate the political scenes in some African countries. The net result has been human loss and suffering exacerbating increasing threats to human security. Of great concern have been continued flow and manufacturing of weapons, both heavy and small, and the increased militarisation of communities in some countries. The logic to follow therefore is that stoppage or control in the supply of weapons through disarmament and arms control will go a long way in ameliorating the situation enhancing the achievement of human security. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the feasibility of arms control and disarmament in achieving human security in Africa. The paper will expose the major problems in effective achievement of arms control and disarmament and establishing ways of circumventing these problems with an overall objective of achieving human security in Africa.
Abstract: Since the turn of the century, Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced the fastest growing rate of
child soldiers. Consider the following statistics:
• An estimated 60 percent of child soldiers in Africa are fourteen years old and under;
• In Uganda the average age of personnel in armed forces is 12.9;
• Since 1990, two million children have been killed in armed conflict, the equivalent of five
hundred per day for ten years.
The international community has responded by signing several treaties and by condemning
children’s participation in combat, but unfortunately, these conventions have done nothing to
reduce the number of children participating in conflicts. In fact, as recently as 2008, for every two
children released from captivity in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, five were abducted
and forced to be child soldiers. Several contributing factors have been
identified to explain the dramatic increase in child soldiering. Understanding these factors and
formulating effective preventative strategies are necessary steps towards reversing this unnecessary
evil. Yet, in fact, prevention methods have not proved to be helpful for children and communities
dealing with the consequences of war. Former child soldiers who have been acculturated into a
world of violence and destruction have been expected to go through peaceful transition back into
society without the necessary skills, support systems, and opportunities to do so, leaving them
vulnerable to re-recruitment efforts or criminal activity. To break this cycle of violence, local and
international rehabilitation and reintegration efforts must channel adequate funding and resources
into comprehensive educational programs that transform these children of war into agents of
change.
Abstract: From air-dropped bombs, rockets,
and missiles to improvised
explosive devices and grenades,
explosive weapons share a
particular capacity to cause
humanitarian harm.
When used in populated areas, the impact can be
devastating, causing large numbers of direct deaths
and severe injuries, displacement, and long-term
psychological, social, economic, and infrastructure
damage. These impacts can be more severe where
heavy explosive weapons are used or where use
is sustained over time. When used in populated
areas, the effects of explosive weapons tend to be
indiscriminate – harming civilian men and women,
children and the elderly, as well as any combatants.
However, because of their widespread use by both state and nonstate
actors, the use of explosive weapons, even in populated
areas such as cities, towns, and villages is sometimes viewed as an
inevitable part of conflict. The indiscriminate nature of the damage
caused by explosive weapons used in populated areas can make
their effects seem random – unfortunate, but unpredictable.
This report argues that, broadly, the severe humanitarian harm
caused by explosive weapons incidents in populated areas can
be predicted. This harm can therefore be reduced, mitigated, or in
many instances, avoided altogether.
Abstract: This paper provides background information and aims to stimulate discussion
among participants in the first symposium organized by UNIDIR’s Discourse on
Explosive Weapons (DEW) project, a meeting that focuses on framing explosive
weapons issues. The paper briefly describes the pattern of harm caused by the
use of explosive weapons and the humanitarian problems this poses. It then looks
at the prevailing approaches to these problems and attempts to outline some of
the limitations of existing frameworks in protecting civilians from the effects of
explosive weapons. Finally, the paper presents an approach that questions the
acceptability of explosive weapons use in the vicinity of civilians.
Abstract: Explosive weapons use in populated areas raises concerns on various grounds,
including from the point of view of armed violence reduction, international
humanitarian law (IHL) implementation, public health and environmental
protection. This paper will focus on the challenges that the use of explosive
weapons in populated areas poses for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
Building on a background paper prepared earlier this year for the Discourse on
Explosive Weapons (DEW) project symposium held on 29 April 2010 in Geneva, and
on discussions at the symposium, this document seeks to address some commonly
heard questions about the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the
implications for policy.
Abstract: A number of actors work at the international level to reduce civilian harm from the
use of bombs, mines or artillery shells in the vicinity of civilians. This paper aims to
map such efforts. It is based on publicly available information and responses to a
questionnaire that the Discourse on Explosive Weapons (DEW) project sent out to
interested organizations and individuals.
A growing number of actors have begun to look at humanitarian and development
concerns through the prism of explosive violence. All but two out of twenty
questionnaire respondents answered positively to the question “Does your institution
consider that the ‘use of explosive weapons in populated areas’ constitutes a
serious humanitarian problem that needs to be addressed?”. Section I of this paper
discusses efforts undertaken to date by civil society, academics, UN actors, the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and states that seek to address the
pattern of civilian harm caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Section II provides an overview of work in effect dealing with different aspects of
harmful impacts of explosive weapons on civilians, although this work may not be
set explicitly within an explosive violence framework.
This survey is not exhaustive, and does not purport to provide a comprehensive
overview of the work of the actors mentioned.
Abstract: This publication features 16 testimonies acquired by IANSA of women survivors of gun violence. The testimonies
are from a number of different countries and the violence occurs in various contexts and situations. The one
common denominator in all of these stories is the misuse of guns.
Although men represent the majority of victims of death from armed violence as well as mostly being the
perpetrators (over 90% of gun homicide victims are men; of the 50,000 people who commit suicide with a gun
every year, 88% are men1), those who survive them are impacted upon profoundly. We will see from the survivors’
testimonies that women are psychologically, socially, economically and emotionally affected by the loss of a
member of their family to gun violence, as are their families when it is they who are killed. They may also suffer
further consequences as a result of a gunshot injury to themselves.
The testimonies also reveal that guns do not need to be fi red in order to constitute armed violence and cause
devastation in women’s lives. The threat of their use enables people to exert power, to intimidate, and to carry
out other crimes and it means that women (who are the minority of users and owners) are victimised in different
ways. We will see cases when guns have been used in facilitating rape, sexual abuse and domestic or intimatepartner
violence. While these dimensions of gun violence are less visible and therefore harder to quantify, these
testimonies give voice to them and demonstrate that they are a social reality in a number of contexts.
Abstract: Ensuring the physical security and
proper management of national
inventories and surplus stocks is key
to minimizing potential hazardous
effects on populations and environments
surrounding depots.
Many factors create stockpiles of
small arms and ammunition in surplus
to a state’s requirements. Examples
include changes in the security environment,
reductions in the number of security
forces, procurement programmes,
and the influx of confiscated illicit or
unauthorized arms. This surplus
materiel needs to be properly addressed.
This Issue Brief profiles the policies
and procedures put in place by the
South-east European countries operating
within the RASR Initiative to
address their surplus small arms and
ammunition.
Abstract: Human Security Research is a monthly publication by the Human Security Report Project (HSRP) which compiles the latest human security-related research published by university research institutes, think-tanks, governments, IGOs and NGOs. This publication highlights recent research on the protection of civilians in armed conflict and the foundation documents underpinning the issues. The contents are:
TRENDS: Protection of Civilians in 2010: Facts, Figures, and the UN Security Council’s Response
RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT: The UN Security Council and the Responsibility to Protect: Policy, Process, and Practice
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES: Who Takes the Blame? The Strategic Effects of Collateral Damage
CHILDREN: In Their Words: Perspectives of Armed Non-State Actors on the Protection of Children from the Effects of Armed Conflict
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: Privileging Asymmetric Warfare?: Defender Duties Under International Humanitarian Law
MYANMAR: Self-Protection Under Strain: Targeting of Civilians and Local Responses in Northern Karen State
HUMANITARIAN RELIEF: Incorporating Protection into Humanitarian Action: Approaches and Limits
PEACE OPERATIONS: Challenges of Strengthening the Protection of Civilians in Multidimensional Peace Operations
CHAD: Protecting Civilians Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Eastern Chad
PEACE OPERATIONS: Enhancing Civilian Protection in Peace Operations: Insights from Africa
ARMS: Meeting the Challenges: Protecting Civilians through the Convention on Cluster Munitions
