The proliferation and abusive use of the over 500 million
small arms and light weapons in circulation in the world
caused millions of deaths in the last decade alone.
These weapons include assault rifles, light and heavy
machine-guns, rocket-propelled grenades, individually
portable mortars and missiles, and anti-personnel
landmines. Readily available, affordable, easy to main-
tain, conceal, smuggle and use, light weapons have
prompted ordinary citizens and self-styled freedom
fighters in Africa to try to solve their problems and
achieve their goals by violent means.
This publication documents the making of the
Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manu-
facture of Light Weapons, effective in 16 West African
States since 1 November 1998. It traces the historic
initiative of Mali’s President Alpha Oumar Konare;
other key players include the UN Advisory Mission to
the Sahara–Sahel region, UNDP, UNIDIR, ECOWAS,
NISAT, the Wassenaar Arrangement, media, NGOs and
civil society organisations. While none of the measures
traditionally associated with arms control can be
expected to work effectively in dealing with small arms,
the Moratorium bears testimony to the political will
under way in West Africa to stem and, hopefully, with
time, reverse the destabilising accumulation and abusive
use of light weapons.
The Making of a Moratorium
on Light Weapons