Formerly restricted mainly to North Africa, violent Islamic extremism now forms a strategic African continuum from West to East, with the Sahelian zone and the Lake Chad Basin emerging as prime areas. This extremist violence is fueled by the continuing inflows of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF).

In the Lake Chad basin region where a wave of violence is threatening Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, these FTF are benefitting from the proliferation, diversion and illicit trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their ammunition to strengthen their capabilities and means of control.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014) calls for the elimination of conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism. As it contributes to the implementation of the Resolution, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) developed the “Regional Support to the Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTITF)” project, with the components on disarmament and non-proliferation of SALW entrusted to the United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC).

The project aims to develop a comprehensive approach to addressing the issue of illicit flows of weapons and ammunition acquired by armed groups through the provision of technical assistance at the regional level and strengthening the capacities of six beneficiary countries in the Lake Chad Basin region, namely Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.

From 4th to 5th August 2016, UNREC in collaboration with the ECOWAS organised an experts’ meeting on improving cross-border sub-regional cooperation in the control of small arms and light weapons under existing regional and sub-regional instruments. The meeting took place at the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Nigeria.

The experts’ meeting aimed at strengthening sub-regional efforts in the area of judicial and military cooperation to combat terrorism by preventing the acquisition of small arms and light weapons by terrorists in the four beneficiary States. It provided a first platform for stakeholders to identify existing gaps in the legislative and judicial systems dealing with international cooperation in small arms control at both national and regional levels.
From 24th to 28th January 2017, UNREC in collaboration with the Government of Cameroon organised a second workshop in Yaounde. This was a Training of Trainer’s Workshop financed by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center (UNCTC) on the inter-institutional course for the fight against the illicit trafficking in SALW, as part of the national capacity building programs for the countries of the Lake Chad Basin affected by the phenomenon of Boko Haram.

These workshops brought together national and international experts on improving cross- border and sub-regional cooperation for control of SALW trafficking in relation to existing regional and sub-regional instruments.

Participants were given a comprehensive training of six modules contained in the draft Trainer’s Handbook for the Inter-Institutional Course on Combating Illicit Trafficking in SALW developed by UNREC including: International instruments and normative framework; Identification of SALW and their parts; ammunition and explosives; Management and Destruction of SALW Stocks, Their Ammunition, Parts, and Elements; Practical Disarmament Measures; Intelligence and investigation to combat illegal trade.
The various presentations of all the modules were the subject of in-depth technical discussions, as well as the exchange of experiences and best practices. This approach contributed significantly to further strengthen participant’s knowledge on the various aspects of the fight against trafficking in SALW.

Recommendations were put forward in order to improve the manual, the training programme and most importantly the dialogue between collaborators. These discussions also helped to highlight the importance role not only of the civil society during this process, but also all the state actors participating in the fight against the proliferation and illicit trade of SALW, the private sector, economic actors and other authorised dealers and users of weapons as well.

Links to related documents

• Photos from the Event: www.goo.gl/0frWyH

The conditions for the entry into force of the Kinshasa Convention were met following the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification by Angola on 6 February 2017.  In accordance with its article 35, paragraph 1, the Convention shall therefore enter into force on 8^th March 2017 (“30 days after the date of deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession”).

Adopted on 30 April 2010, six out of the eleven signatories namely Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo and Gabon are parties to the Kinshasa Convention

The Convention sets out specific obligations on a wide range of issues related to the control of SALW, their ammunition, parts and components, including: International transfers; Civilian possession; Manufacture, distribution and repair; Brokering; Marking and tracing; Registration collection and destruction; Management and Security of Stockpiles; Border control; Transparency and exchange of information.

Thus, the Kinshasa Convention will complement and reinforce other disarmament and arms control instruments and frameworks applicable to the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (UNSAC) countries, such as the Arms Trade Treaty, the Firearms Protocol, the United Nations Programme of Action, the International Tracing Instrument, the Bamako Declaration and the African Union Strategy on the Control of Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of SALW.

Effective implementation of the Kinshasa Convention will contribute to reducing the illicit trafficking and proliferation of arms in the region and beyond, thereby fostering the advancement of Goals 16.a and 16.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals. The latter calls for the reduction of illicit arms flows and the strengthening of relevant national institutions. At the regional level, the implementation of the Kinshasa Convention will also contribute to the African Union’s aspiration of ‘Silencing the Guns’ by the year 2020 as called for in Agenda 2063.

Mandated by UNSAC to elaborate the initial draft of the Convention, in 2014 UNREC also supported ECCAS countries in developing a draft harmonisation guide in preparation for the future implementation of the Kinshasa Convention, detailing concrete steps and actions which are required to meet the new responsibilities.

The entry into force of the Kinshasa Convention will greatly enhance the legal disarmament and arms control framework of the African continent, adding a fourth legally binding, sub-regional instrument to the existing ECOWAS Convention, Nairobi Protocol and SADC Protocol.

UNREC calls for further universalisation of the Kinshasa Convention, as well as for its swift and effective implementation, guided by the proposals contained in the relevant implementation plan.

For more information, please contact: UNREC, Tel: (+ 228) 22535000 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.unrec.org, www.facebook.unrec.org, twitter.com/odaunrec

The United Nations Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), with the support of the Cameroonian authorities, will organise a Training of Trainers Workshop on the Inter-Institutional Course for the fight against the Illicit Trafficking in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their Ammunition in Africa. This workshop will take place Djeuga Palace Hotel from 24 to 28 January 2017.

This workshop is financed by the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center (UNCTC) and is part of the national capacity building phase of the project entitled ”Regional Support Project to the Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTITF)” and is in the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014). The project covers six countries, namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178 “requests to identify principal gaps in Member States’ capacities to implement Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001)…” referring, in particular, to the coordination of efforts in the fight against the established relationship between international terrorism and transnational organised crime. To this end, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) has developed the CTITF project in implementing the Security Council Resolution 2178 with the components on disarmament and non-proliferation of SALW, entrusted to UNREC.

The CTITF project aims to develop a comprehensive and regional approach on the issue of the illicit flows of arms and ammunition acquired by Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) by providing technical assistance and strengthening the capacities of the beneficiary countries.

The Yaoundé workshop is the second activity to take place further to the first workshop that was held in Abuja, Nigeria from 4 to 5 August 2016. These workshops aim to bring together national and international experts to discuss ways to improve cross-border, sub-regional cooperation in arms control under existing regional disarmament instruments.

For five days, UNREC experts will share ther knowledge with and train participants on a wide-range of subjects including; human security and human rights, SALW proliferation, their marking, registration, identification, as well as other practical disarmament measures.

For more information, please contact: UNREC, Tel: (+ 228) 22535000 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.unrec.org, www.facebook.unrec.org, twitter.com/odaunrec

The present database contains the reports of the Secretaries-General on the activities undertaken by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa from 1995 to 2016.

The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) will host a Regional Workshop on Physical Security and Stockpile Management from 15 – 17 November 2016, in Lome Togo. The workshop will take place at the hotel Sarakawa.

This workshop is being held within the framework of the Physical Security and Stockpile Management Project – PSSM- Sahel, co-financed by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, (UNODA) and the European Union. The project aims to support countries in the region, namely Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria to prevent the diversion and trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunitions.

This workshop is being held with the support of Togolese authorities and will bring together senior government officers from the beneficiary countries and international experts from regional and nongovernmental organizations actively engaged in the PSSM activities to share experiences and information gained from the National Consultations held in these countries during the initial phase of the project.
Participants will also deliberate on ways to enhance effectiveness in implementation and sustainability in the long-term.

During the three days of the meeting, national and international experts will review the findings of the initial phase on Small and Light Weapons (SALW) legislation, administrative and operational procedures with the aim of establishing the necessary requirements in order to align them with sub-regional and international
standards and obligations under the different international instruments.

The workshop will also develop and provide guidance and orientation for the subsequent phases of the project.

 More information about the project

Paper prepared by UNREC as a contribution to the emerging discourse on enhancing maritime security in Africa, gives an overview of the overall challenge, conceptual definitions and international instruments relevant to maritime security in Africa . Available for download as a PDF file

Photos of the Event

Within the framework of its ongoing work to address the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in Africa, UNREC opened the Parliamentary Lusophone Workshop on the Ratification and Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (statement attached),

Hosted by the Government of Cape Verde and organised by Parliamentarians for Global Action in Praia, Cape Verde  More Information

On 8 and 9 August 2016 in partnership with the Malian National Commission for the Fight Against the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons CNLPAL) UNREC, jointly with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organised a legal drafting workshop to support Mali in its efforts to develop a new law for the control of small arms and light weapons.

Under the leadership of the president of the CNLPAL, General Coulibaly Kane, more than 20 international and local legal experts, legislators and practitioners in the security sector spent the two days reviewing the current legal framework and deliberating on the development of a comprehensive law aligned to Mali’s current national needs and compliant with its international obligations.

The workshop made a number of useful proposals that will be presented to Malian authorities for consideration.

Photos from the event