Proliferation and Illicit Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa

In Africa, the effect of the proliferation of SALW continues to impact negatively on the socioeconomic development particularly within the GLHA subregion. Since 2000, several initiatives on the matter have been developed. Foremost among the subregional and regional initiatives are the Nairobi and Bamako declarations on the "African Common Position on the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons" in March and December 2000, respectively. This study seeks to examine the strategy's ends, ways and means of how the GLHA countries are dealing with the SALW problem with emphasis on Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. It also analyzes the challenges the subregional governments have encountered while tackling the menace and measures they have developed to mitigate them. It is clear that the strategies' ends and ways are sufficient to contain the problem but only require better coordination, integration and synchronization into one main effort. The author concludes that the war on SALW remains elusive unless all member states show the political will to address the factors of increased supply and demand of SALW and allocate more resources (means) in order to allow the ways to achieve the strategic ends.