Democratic Republic of Congo & curbing arms trade
Every day, some 2,000 people are killed globally as a result of armed violence, while the lives of thousands more are destroyed due to the scourge.
Africa is the world’s biggest victim of the trade of arms, such as rocket-propelled grenades, mortars and Kalashnikov rifles. The black continent suffers not only in human terms, but also economically.
Oxfam estimates that, between 1990 and 2006, Africa lost 284 billion dollars as a result of armed conflicts.
After decades of global campaigning by such organizations as Amnesty International and Oxfam, the UN Arms Trade Treaty finally came into force on December 24, 2014. So far, over 130 states have signed the Treaty and 61 have ratified it. It could mean an end to the flood of weapons into countries like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, even though neither of them has signed it.
But, while some of the world’s biggest arms exporters like the UK and France have ratified the Treaty, turning it into domestic law, others such as the US have not. And some campaigners say the Treaty is so loosely worded that both governments and arms dealers will be able to get around it.
In this edition of Africa Today, we will discuss the issue of arms control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ask how effective the new UN Arms Trade Treaty will be.
EP/HJL
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