Briefings
States gather to tackle illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
Arms Trade Bulletin May – June 2022 Here are some of the highlights from the Eighth Biennial Meeting of States to consider the implementation of the programme of action (PoA) to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects (BMS8), which was held in New York City, between 27 June and 1 July 2022. The draft outcome document is available here
Arms Trade Bulletin March-April 2022
End-Use Monitoring of Military Assistance to Ukraine Peter Danssaert, Brian Wood & Markus Fahlbusch Since late March, arms transfers to the Ukraine armed forces have increased and changed in nature to counter the invading Russian forces, their atrocities and wanton destruction of civilian infrastructure. Under Putin’s orders, Russian forces have re-concentrated in the south east of Ukraine in
Arms Trade Bulletin January – February 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and arms transfers in the framework of international law Synopsis By Peter Danssaert & Brian Wood The international crisis and threat to world peace presented by the massive Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has thrown up difficult questions, not least of which is how the international community can assist the Ukrainian armed forces defend the country’
Arms Trade Bulletin November – December 2021
SUB-SAHARA AFRICA AND THE ARMS TRADE, 2021 by Peter Danssaert Since 2014 the Early Warning Project (1) has produced an annual global assessment of countries at risk of a new outbreak of mass killings. Eighteen African countries are listed in the “Top 30 countries by estimated risk of new mass killing, 2021-2022” – the remainder are located in Asia. Out of the fifteen countries with ongoing (+) mas
Arms Trade Bulletin August – October 2021
BOOK REVIEW The Palgrave Handbook of Small Arms and Conflicts in Africa (2021) (https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030621827) Peter Danssaert The Palgrave Handbook of Small Arms and Conflicts in Africa addresses the internal and external factors that influence the proliferation and regulation of small arms in Africa. The Handbook is divided into 46 chapters and counts 1,000+ pages. Refreshingly
Arms Trade Bulletin – July 2021
DEFENCE EXPORT PETITIONS – A POST MORTEM REVIEW Eitay Mack The author of this article, Eitay Mack, is an Israeli human rights lawyer based in Jerusalem, who filed the mentioned petitions with a group of Israeli human rights activists. On June 27, 2021, the judges Alex Stein, David Mintz, and Anat Baron rejected outright a petition (case 1942/21) requesting the High Court of Justice (HCJ) to order
Arms Trade Bulletin May – June 2021
SOUTH AFRICA ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY APPROVING MILITARY EXPORTS TO GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS Peter Danssaert & Brian Wood In March 2021 a South African non-governmental organisation, Open Secrets, released a detailed report accusing the government of approving military exports to armed forces alleged by UN experts to be perpetrating war crimes in Yemen. South African military exports to Myanma
Arms Trade Bulletin March – April 2021
ARMS TRANSFERS TO MYANMAR International Peace Information Service vzw & Omega Research Foundation On Saturday March 27th 2021 more than 100 pro-democracy protesters were killed by the Myanmar security forces. Myanmar’s armed forces staged a coup d’état against the country’s democratically elected government on February 1, 2021. Mass protests across the country were unleashed following the coup
Arms Trade Bulletin January – February 2021
AFRICA AND THE REGULATION OF TRANSNATIONAL ARMS BROKERING African countries face an ongoing threat from the consequences of unregulated arms brokering but this cannot be solved by remedial action in Africa alone. Cases show that criminal justice and United Nations Security Council responses to mass atrocities and other serious violations of international law can sometimes ensure accountability and
Arms Trade Bulletin November – December 2020
ETHIOPIA’S MILITARY OFFENSIVE IN TIGRAY ACCOMPANIED BY ATROCITIES AND INTERNAL REPRESSION: ETHIOPIAN GOVERNMENT REJECTS INTERNATIONAL CRITICISM On 4 November 2020 the Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) launched a military offensive against the Tigray regional government. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed dubbed it a “law enforcement operation” reportedly “to restore the rule of law and the
Arms Trade Bulletin September – October 2020
ARE COURTS GOING TO SET A HIGHER STANDARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS DUE DILIGENCE IN ARMS EXPORTS ? The obligations of companies to implement human rights due diligence (HRdd) has reached the political agenda with the announcement of EU Commissioner Reynders to propose a binding EU framework, a range of national initiatives and the negotiation of a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. However, such huma
Arms Trade Bulletin July – August 2020
Pompeo covers up US failure to address Yemen civilian casualties from US munitions exports On the 11th August 2020 the Department of State Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its report on the investigation into Secretary Pompeo’s May 24, 2019 emergency determination made under the Arms Export Control Act for the sale or transfer of over $8.1 billion in defence articles and services to the
Arms Trade Bulletin May – June 2020
LES TRANSFERTS D’ARMES À L’ÉPREUVE DE LA JUSTICE ET DU COVID-19 La première partie de l’année 2020 a été édifiante en France tant sur le plan des décisions de justice sur les autorisations d’exportations d’armes, que sur le principe de lier la puissance d’un État à la force militaire – à la fois son budget militaire, son potentiel technologique militaire et sa capacité de produire et vendre
Arms Trade Bulletin March – April 2020
UNITED STATES SANCTIONS ENFORCEMENT POLICY On 9th March 2020 the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) of State for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions presented the United States Government’s sanctions policy and future sanctions enforcement posture at an event organised by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. The measures will impact the global maritime industry. (1) “The message from these ac
Arms Trade Bulletin January – February 2020
THE LIBYAN CONUNDRUM Since ousting Gaddafi in 2011 Libya has succumbed into chaos. The country is since 2014/15 split into two factions: the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA), which enjoys UN recognition, and the Tobruk-based Libyan House of Representatives. Despite a UN arms embargo both sides receive material support from various countries. The Libyan House of Representatives is
Arms Trade Bulletin November – December 2019
THE CASE FOR ON-SITE INSPECTIONS South Africa has decided to block arms exports to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Algeria after these countries refused to allow South African officials to inspect their facilities to verify compliance with the South African National Conventional Arms Control Act and South African National Conventional Arms Control Regulations. The clause in the end-us
Arms Trade Bulletin September – October 2019
EDITORIAL “The Kurds ‘didn’t help us’ in Normandy” On 8 October the invasion of northern Syria by Turkey began with air strikes on the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). This military offensive came after a telephone call between president Trump and president Erdogan on 6 October. Trump had agreed to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria. The U.S. media speculate that Trump’s will
Arms Trade Bulletin July – August 2019
Gender-Based Violence and Arms Transfer Controls – is it still just talk and no real action? The Fifth Conference of States Parties (CSP5) to the Arms Trade Treaty was being held in Geneva between 26th and 30th August 2019. The theme of CSP5 was gender and gender based violence (GBV), which is a very widespread problem worldwide, fuelled as it is by dominant cultures that equate masculinity with t
Arms Trade Bulletin May – June 2019
Arms proliferation still undermining peace prospects in Libya The chaos within Libya has given rise to a score of armed groups. Porous borders and the cross-border proliferation of arms and ammunition enables these armed groups to engage in a wide variety of illegal activities, which in turn undermine peace and security in Libya and the neighbouring countries. Weapons from Libya’s stockpile
Arms Trade Bulletin March-April 2019
UK arms supplies to Saudi Arabia – a view from London “This is the fourth anniversary of the latest stage of a terrible conflict. Britain will do everything possible to ensure that Yemen’s people do not have to suffer a fifth.” These were the words of the Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt in March 2019, on the fourth anniversary of the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen. That same day, Saudi-led forces bom
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