the tangled web of illicit arms traffi cking

8/7/2019 The Tangled Web of Illicit Arms Traffi cking

1/6

1

UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

CIVIL AND WATER RESOURCESENGINEERRING

ID NO: 08/05/03/019

GST 224

TOPIC:EFFECTS OF ARMS DEAL IN

NIGERIA


2/6

2

INTRODUCTION

Small arms trafficking in the 21st century is nothing if not a global operation. In2002, traffickers acquired 5,000 AK-47s from Yugoslavian army stocks and moved themfrom Serbia to Liberia under the guise of a legal transaction with Nigeria. One of the planesused in this shipment came from Ukraine and made a refueling stop in Libya while en route.

That same year, a group of West African gun smugglers persuaded the Nicaraguangovernment to sell it 3,000 assault rifles and 2.5 million rounds of ammunition bypretending to be brokering the deal on behalf of the Panamanian National Police. Instead,the illegal goods were routed to South America and sold to the United Self-Defense Forcesof Columbia, an international terrorist organization.

These and thousands of similar incidents combine to make black market smallarms trafficking a $1 billion-a-year global business. But the financial profit comes at atremendous cost to the worlds security. Some 500,000 people are killed each year by the639 million small arms in circulation, and in some conflicts up to 80 percent of casualtiesare caused by these weapons.38 Moreover, small arms are today the weapons of choice forall warring parties around the globe whether they be government armies, rebel forces, orterrorists because they are cheap, widely available, extremely lethal, simple to use,

durable, portable and concealable.

In particular, small arms fuel regional instability, such as in the Niger-Delta situationin Nigeria. These persistent weapons often remain behind at the end of conflicts, thusenabling disputes to reignite or spread to neighboring countries. Even when further war isavoided, small arms become instruments for criminal violence and the disruption ofdevelopment efforts. Ultimately, this kind of regional destabilization can cause states to failand create the conditions in which terrorist organizations emerge and thrive.

Methods Of Arms Diversion

The vast majority of small arms on the black market were produced and traded

legally before being diverted into an illicit network. There are seven primary ways in whichthis diversion occurs.

The first and most direct method of diversion involves shipping legally producedweapons directly to and through debarred countries. The U.N. sanctions panel on Angolaand Liberia found numerous violations of arms embargoes, both by supplier states andthose that allowed weapons to be transshipped through their countries. Government officialsaccept bribes in exchange for export licenses for ineligible parties and other services. Cashpayouts are particularly common in countries where government workers receive meagersalaries or do not receive regular wages.

Second, poor stockpile security and management make government arsenalsattractive to thieves and vulnerable to accidental loss. Weapons can flow from insecuregovernment stockpiles into the hands of unscrupulous arms dealers or end up in the handsof organized crime syndicates, terrorists, or rebel groups.

Third, national arsenals can be looted during times of instability. For instance, in1997, over half a million weapons were stolen from the Albanian national arsenal. Theseweapons quickly spread throughout the Balkans and beyond.

Fourth, weapons are sometimes simply lost by the government or military. From theUnited States to the Philippines, weapons are accidentally misplaced or unaccounted for. An


3/6

3

estimated one million small arms are stolen or lost worldwide each year.41 These weaponsoften end up on the black market.

Fifth, soldiers may sell weapons for cash. In countries where military personnel havenot been paid, surplus weapons have not been collected from military stocks, or soldiershave sympathies to a rebel cause, weapons may be sold for cash. There are documented

cases of Israeli military officers selling weapons to Palestinian fighters with full knowledgethat these weapons were likely to be used against them.

Sixth, weapons are often stolen from both legitimate and illegal civilian owners.Known gun owners are attractive targets for those trying to get their hands on weaponsquickly. Small-scale burglary alone enables half a million U.S. weapons to enter the blackmarket every year.

Seventh, domestic purchasing laws facilitate the entrance of small arms into the illicitmarket. In countries where there are no limits to how many guns a person may legally ownor buy at one time, the phenomenon of straw purchasing has become common.Individuals buy several weapons at a time and then illegally resell the weapons, oftenbringing the weapons across international borders to sell in countries where gun laws are

more restrictive. This technique is commonplace between the United

In the few African countries where reliable data is available, small arms are a leadingcause of unnatural deaths. For example, in South Africa, small arms are the principal causeof unnatural deaths (close to 30% of the total) more than road accident fatalities.

COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES[EFFECTS] FOR AFRICA; NIGERIA IN PARTICULAR

THE SMALL ARMS SURVEY estimates that small arms have resulted in hundreds ofthousands of deaths and millions of injuries each year. They are further responsible for 60

to 90% of total conflict deaths. However, the exact global total is unknown as data isThe availability of small arms combined with the experience of protracted armed conflict hasresulted in the emergence of a gun culture in certain African

Arms collection and destruction has been a popular strategy for reducing thequantity of illicit small arms in Africa. Countries like Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali,ozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda (to name a few) havedestroyed large quantities of small arms and ammunition that were surplus, obsolete orconfi scated by security forces. For example, the various million tons of bushmeat isharvested each year. This in turn has resulted in a downturn for the tourism economies ofthese areas. The proliferation and misuse of small arms is also counter developmental.According to the 2005 Human Development Report: Insecurity linked to armed confl ictremains one of the greatest obstacles to human development. It is both a cause and

a consequence of mass poverty. The human development index reflects this. Of the 20countries listed as experiencing the lowest levels of human development (all of which are inAfrica) more than 50% have been subject to significant levels of armed violence since 1990.In the majority of these countries, illicit small arms were responsible for injuries and death.That is, the lethality and ready availability of illicit small arms in situations of violent conflictextends beyond the injury, death and psychological trauma of individual victims; it alsodecimates economies and dislocates societies. The reason for this is that armed conflictseriously disrupts or even destroys food production and distribution processes, with hungerand malnutrition being the direct result, especially among the most vulnerable population


4/6

4

groups. For example, the civil war in Nigeria resulted in an unprecedent amount of deaths ranging into millions - that are not the direct result of small arms violence, but instead canbe attributed to malnutrition and disease.

With heightened trafficking in small arms in West Africa and with the porous bordersbetween different countries, it has become increasingly difficult to address the spread of

these weapons. Small arms have been recycled in the West African countries ofNigeria,Gabon, Ghana, Guinea and Burkina Faso. Rebel groups and armies supply each other witharms in past

The proximity of West African countries to international waters and porous bordershas created easy access to the supply and demand of SALWs. Security forces do not haveadequate equipment to carry out air, land and sea surveillance to track weapons. Further,according to estimates, approximately 80 to 90 percent of the small arms traded on theblack market start from state-sanctioned trade. As many as one-third of African statesfactory produce small arms or small arms ammunitions, or have done so in the recent past.

NIGER DELTA

Numerous conflicts are occurring within the country and in some cases, the problemof ethnicity and militancy is adding fuel to the fire. In our neighborhood involving GuineaBissau, Congo DR, Somalia, and Sudan this problem is raising its head in a very uglymanner. Small arms are Pistols, Revolvers, Hunting rifles, Machine guns and Light weaponsthat can be carried by one or two people mounted on a vehicle or carried by pack animallike Shoulder fired rocket Launchers and Mortars (of Caliber less than 100 mm).

The magnitude of problem in Nigeria is by no means a small one. In past 10 yearsthere have been 75,000 deaths by arms and 4500 illicit arms have been seized. Most of thecountry made arms are made in Nigerian Defense Industries Corporation near Zaria andforeign made weapons are smuggled through creek by miscreants and via air and searoutes by state authorities. There are 5 millions such arms with militants, insurgents and

criminals (About 1% of total weapons). 25% trade is illegal (one and a half billion US $).Gen. Murtala Muhammed was killed by small arms, militancy shattered the Niger Delta,there is burning problem in north east Nigeria, Middle-Belt is Bleeding, People War Groupand other smaller groups are causing havoc in Nigeria with these weapons.

The Niger Delta is facing its own problems. The Ijaw community had ethnic tensionswith such exponent with population of huge causalities on both sides. Small arms & lightweapons are mainly used by them. Magnitude of problem in the region is though not big butcannot be ignored. There is Constitutional failure and maimed democracy in this country.Innocent citizens were killed. There are MEND insurgency activities resulting in killing manycivilians. Bakassi peninsula got separated from Nigeria in 2002. Most of its inhabitants of70% Nigerians were killed and there are Human rights violations on some ethnic groups,

women and children among the displace victims.

In Gbaramatu there is hereditary monarchy that is facing problem of refugeesemigrating to evade military invasion but still it has less than US $ 1 income per indigene.Odi was invaded in 1999 by an order from Gen. Obasanjo which citizens were displaced bymilitary (lot of arms from Pakistan and indirectly from USA).

Resource control agitation came to limelight by Niger Delta people but there is Intergroup rivalry. There is high rate of illiteracy and poverty in this country. In Niger Delta there


5/6

5

are a lot of casualties by these weapons. It is a huge burden on the governments to treat allthose injured. Treating such victims takes away the vital funds from health departmentsneeded for curing other diseases. It leaves behind a trail of disabled persons needing extramedical attention. There are personal costs of treatment and rehabilitation along withpsychological and psychosocial costs.

There are increasing attacks on health workers resulting in closure of healthinstitutes. Due to this Vaccination and immunization coverage falls, life expectancydecreases and child mortality rate increases. There are 1.33 billion populations in the Africawith US $ 430 per capita income and only US $ 220 per capita in Nigeria with a lot of drugsand illicit arms trade. This creates fear among the populations. This creates hatred amongvarious population groups. It is a burden on the economy of democracies due to whichdevelopment of a countrys lag behind. Funds have to be diverted to pay compensation tovictims and fight such groups with arms. It causes destruction of physical infrastructure,decrease of agriculture production and school enrollment Foreign and domestic investmentdecreases resulting in loss of domestic revenue 44% of world poor are in Africa.522 millionpeople earn less than US $ 1/day.

Nigerian Emergency Relief Agency was formed to take care of social aspects. Urgentaction needs to be taken to address this issue. Some solutions proposed by different stakeholders include increased control over manufacturing and marketing with a procedure anddocumentation for export, transit and brokering. Stockpiling should be prevented andcomprehensive tracing system should be there with detailed record keeping, willingness toinform others and due care & sense of responsibility while transferring weapons should beexercised. There should be no transfer to non state actors and unauthorized entities. Thereshould be destruction of weapons where conflicts have ended so that arms are not passedon to militants somewhere else in the world by illicit trade. There should be prevention ofconflicts and post confliction rehabilitations.

We are at a point in time in which arms transactions, all over the nation is at itspeak. The adverse effects of these deals are such that they cannot be ignored. The stability

of the nation at large is being threatened by increased dependence by both the governmentand other groups - like MEND - for conflict resoulution. Small arms and light weapons needas much attention as weapons of mass destruction. Its not just the weapons, that needattention but also the ammunition as without ammunition these weapons are of no use.

Emphasis should be laid on working to bring to light the dangers that these weaponspose to our society and to our little world. We will have to change the opinion of the publicabout such important issues. Only the public will elect such honest and dedicated leaderswho will think more about them rather than the arms manufacturers and arms dealers. Inthis way lot of money will be saved which can be utilized for the up-lifting of the society.Have the will power to resolve the issue, sacrificing monetary gains and we will have amuch better world to live in.

BORNO

The recent arrest in Maiduguri of five men with deadly weapons bound for Plateau

and Taraba states has raised fresh security concerns over the proliferation of illicit arms in


6/6

6

this country. The State Security Service (SSS) said it arrested the suspects with rocket

launchers, AK47 rifles and cash amounting to N4.8 million heading for the two states. The

weapons were said to have been brought into the country from Cameroon. This is

particularly disturbing in view of the fact that both Plateau and Taraba states have

witnessed violent sectarian clashes in recent years. Hundreds of people have died and

thousands have been rendered homeless in those bloody clashes.

Borno State, which shares a border with Cameroon Republic to the east, ChadRepublic to the north-east and Niger Republic to the north, is one of the most active entrypoints used by traffickers to, or from, the country. Indeed, investigations have shown thatthrough Borno's land borders one can get access right into North Africa and link up withEurope by road. The Central African Republic is also accessible by road from Borno State.This is why some of the dramatic arrests made by Nigeria Customs Service were made atBorno borders.

In 2008 about 1,000 Chadian refugees fled into Gamboru town in Borno whilerunning away from a fight between rebels and government troops. In the same year, asuspected human trafficker from Edo State, Amina Musa Elaite, was arrested in the state

trying to cross the border with four young women aged between 19 and 24. Before the endof that year, 20 bags of Indian hemp were handed over to the National Drugs LawEnforcement Agency by men of the Nigeria Customs Service who got them from a drugtrafficker who abandoned them and escaped.

All these are a few instances from only one border zone of the country. By the timewe take an inventory of what happens in all our other border zones, including sea borders,we will have a grim picture of how easily things can move in and out of this countryundetected. For this reason Nigerian authorities must strengthen our intelligence gatheringmechanism so that, with enough information, our security agencies can easily intercept andarrest all traffickers. All of the nation's borders should have tighter screening methods. Allour entry ports should have patrol boats at coastal borders.

REFFERNCES

1. The Tangled Web of Illicit Arms Traffi ckingwww.americanprogress.org

2. http://allafrica.com/stories/201009030235.html

3. L.Chinedu Arizona-OgwuFounder; Nigeria4betterruleWrites from Oyigbo; Rivers State

the tangled web of illicit arms traffi cking

Documents