Danger is lurking for most states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) owing to the large number of small arms in the sub-region and the threat they pose to peace and security of the individual states and the region as a whole. Statistics puts the number of small arms at 8 million pieces. For such number of dangerous weapons to exist in the 15 countries that comprise ECOWAS, is a major source of worry more so that many of these countries are impoverished and in dire need of development.
The source of these arms and ammunition are not hard to find. First, international arms smugglers and traders, supplying clients in the Horn of Africa and parts of East Africa, which until recently were conflict- ridden, played a major role. Also, arms dealers who trafficked between Europe and the Arabian Peninsula are part of this group. Second, are fighters from Mali, Chad and Niger who formed part of the vast army of the late Libyan leader, Moamer Gaddafi. These fighters after the fall of their patron and their departure from Libya took assorted and costly weapons with them both for commercial and combat purposes. Third, traffickers from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union also introduced cheap, portable and deadly weapons into West Africa with the result that the AK-47, Ground Assault rifle are now common sight in many West African countries! Most of these weapons were used to fight the dirty and brutal civil wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone which led to the death and maiming of thousands of people in these countries. Liberia and Sierra Leone are still awash with thousands of small arms in the hands of many who fought in those wars as well as in the conflict in Cote D’ Ivoire which culminated in the ouster of former Ivorian leader, Laurent Gbagbo.
We are happy that the threat posed by the large scale small arms and ammunition in the sub-region is not lost to the political leaders of the community as well as the authorities in each member country. We urge that vigilance and commitment be brought to bear on the convention on small arms already signed by leaders of the member states. Second, there is need to educate the citizens of the community on the dangers of small arms and get the cooperation of citizens to blow the whistle on any perceived movement or storage of same in each country. West Africa has been relatively peaceful after the wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone until the emergence of domestic terrorism in Nigeria through Boko Haram. Boko Haram has in the last four years grown to the point where the large Nigeria military is unable to contain it. Nigeria has now been compelled to accept international military assistance to combat the insurgents.
Happily, ECOWAS has also pledged to join Nigeria to rout the insurgents. It is important that ECOWAS take the monitoring of small arms seriously and set up a mechanism to locate and confiscate them. There is nothing that encourages domestic insurgency and terrorism to bloom than the availability of deadly and cheap small arms and ammunition.
Aside tighter control of borders in the sub-region which are legendary for their porosity, it is important that West African states many of whom have long coastline and seaports, should also monitor carefully incoming cargo into their ports. Much of the illegal small arms trade and importation are carried out through the ports. ECOWAS should strive to remove small arms from its borders to ensure general peace in the sub-region.
