arms destruction in southern africa

Destroying Surplus Weapons: An Assessment of Experience in South Africa and Lesotho
Sarah Meek and Noel Stott, Nov 2003
UNIDIR and SAS

In the world of arms control and disarmament there have been far too few success stories lately and so it is with great pleasure that the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Small Arms Survey (SAS) are able to produce this evaluation of the experiences of South Africa and Lesotho in destroying surplus small arms and light weapons and the responsible management of their stockpiles.

In the period following the end of Apartheid, the South African Government quickly learned—the hard way—how weapons that had previously been used in conflict situations could become the tools of choice of violent criminals. The response of South Africa was to first understand the depth and scope of the problem and then to act nationally, regionally and internationally. The recommendations of the 1994-95 Cameron Commission became the cornerstone of the new Government’s responsible and ethical policy on arms exports.

Since 1995, South Africa and Mozambique have cooperated in finding and destroying arms left over from Mozambique’s long and bloody civil war. In addition South Africa has destroyed thousands of domestically sized illicit weapons, established controls on government stockpiles, reviewed and revised its domestic firearms legislation, and assisted Lesotho in the destruction of its surplus small arms and light weapons.

Destroying Surplus Weapons: An Assessment of Experiences in South Africa and Lesotho reviews and evaluates the experiences of South Africa and Lesotho. The aim of the book is to highlight the lessons from South Africa and Lesotho, and thereby encourage other governments to carry out similar programmes if they have not already begun to do so. In particular the body of experience from Mozambique, Lesotho and South Africa has practical relevance for other countries in southern Africa and in other parts of Africa. However it must be stressed that the intent is not to prescribe but to inspire. Each State, each situation has its own peculiarities and would have to adapt the lessons contained in this book. However the approach used by South Africa and Lesotho is adaptable and most certainly adoptable. It is cost-effective and can benefit societies in terms of security, development and economics if governments emulate the work evaluated in this book.

It is our hope that this book will inspire other governments in Africa and elsewhere to consider similar attempts to destroy small arms and light weapons that are surplus to national requirements and to put in place stockpile management regimes that minimize the leakage of weapons into the illicit trade and their possible use in violent crime and armed conflict. As South Africa and Lesotho have realised—to do otherwise is sheer folly.

(Taken from the preface by by Peter Batchelor, Project Director: SAS and Patricia Lewis, Director: UNIDIR)

To order please e-mail us

Top