Arming Genocide In Darfur and South Africa: The Small Arms and Light Weapons Question
ABSTRACT:
Small arms afflict countries in conflict and those in peace. From the theatres of wars in Somalia and Democratic Republic of Congo to the cities of Johannesburg, Nairobi, the great Lakes Region and Horn of Africa and the Niger Delta, they kill and maim people of all religion, social classes and ethnicities. The on- going Darfur crisis in the Sudan is also another case of diffusing small arms and light weapons. In Africa, where over 100 million small arms exist, their effects are devastating. In a vicious cycle, they are both a cause and effect of violence. They do not only kill the innocent, they also maim, prolong conflicts, choke development and deepen poverty. This article discusses on the small arms and light weapons questions as it relates to the crisis in Darfur and South Africa by looking at the actors, background and issues of the conflicts, weapons types and their sources before and during the conflict and the use and Impact of small arms and light weapons in the selected countries and concludes that their presence has led to greater insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa as weapons availability aggravates and sustains armed conflict with deleterious consequences which is reflective of the problems associated with the law that has failed to match the continued influx and usages of these weapons