Tackling illicit small arms and light weapons and ammunition in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa

Following a decision of the Council of the European Union on 27 February 2012, a two-year project on ‘Supporting EU-China-Africa dialogue on conventional arms control’ was launched on 5 June 2012. Implemented by Saferworld, together with the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association and the Africa Peace Forum the project was aimed at enhancing dialogue between the African, the Chinese and the European civil society and research communities on conventional arms control and the struggle against illicit proliferation and circulation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) through the creation of an ‘Africa-China-EU Expert Working Group on conventional arms’ (EWG) and its activities. During the project, the EWG, made up of nine high-profile arms control and non-proliferation experts from Africa, China and Europe, acted as a driving force to facilitate dialogue, dissemination of information and research, and to share ideas and expertise among its members and relevant partners on issues related to the illicit proliferation and circulation of SALW and conventional military equipment in Africa, with a specific focus on the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region of the continent.

The main objective of this working paper is to provide an assessment of the threats posed by the proliferation and illicit circulation of SALW and their impact on security and social-economic development in the countries of the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa; to illustrate the outcomes of the EWG activities and experiences; to highlight lessons learnt during the meetings and consultations held within the EWG and with relevant partners in Africa, China and the EU; and formulate recommendations regarding ways to maximise the results obtained over the two-year period of the project, and how this might be used to inform future work through Africa-China-EU tripartite cooperation in the area of SALW and arms control.

This report was researched and written for the Africa-China-EU Expert Working Group on conventional arms by Claudio Gramizzi.

《应对大湖区和非洲之角非法轻小武器与弹药扩散问题》

非洲-中国-欧盟常规武器专家工作组工作报告

简介

       根据欧盟理事会在2012年2月27日的决定，一项为期两年的“欧盟-中国-非洲常规武器管控对话机制”于2012年6月5日启动。该项目由更安全世界、中国军控与裁军协会与非洲和平论坛共同实施。项目旨在加强非洲、中国和欧盟民间团体与研究机构在常规武器管控、打击轻小武器非法扩散和流通等问题上的对话。项目成立了“非洲-中国-欧盟常规武器专家工作组”（专家工作组），并通过专家工作组的活动推动目标的落实。专家工作组由九位来自非洲、中国和欧洲的军控和防扩散领域资深专家组成，积极推动对话，努力传播信息，并认真进行调查研究。同时，专家工作组在成员及合作伙伴之间分享有关常规武器管控的关键问题的想法和专业知识，为各方就轻小武器和常规军事装备在非洲、特别是非洲之角和大湖地区的非法扩散和流通提供了定期交流的平台。

       本工作文件首先评估非洲之角和大湖地区的轻小武器非法流通和扩散所带来的威胁，以及它对该地区国家安全和社会经济发展所造成的影响；随后展示专家工作组各项活动成果和经验；并总结工作组内部讨论的成果、以及从与非洲、中国和欧盟的相关伙伴举行的会议和磋商中获得的经验教训；最后拟定关于如何充分利用项目工作成果的建议，并探讨如何更好地指导非洲-中国-欧盟三方未来在轻小武器和军备控制领域的合作。

　　 本报告由克劳迪奥•格拉米齐（Claudio Gramizzi）为“非洲-中国-欧盟常规武器专家工作组”撰写。