Chronology of Events Relating to the ECOWAS Moratorium
by Sverre Lodgaard, NUPI

The moratorium announced at the ECOWAS meeting of Heads of State in Abuja, Nigeria, 30-31 October 1998 originated from a succession of events and initiatives which began in 1993.

Acting upon an initial request from the President of Mali, the Secretary-General of the United Nations established an advisory mission on the control and collection of small arms in the Sahara-Sahel region. The mission visited Mali (1994) as well as Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal (1995).

A major lesson from these missions was that curbing the dissemination of small arms within each country and throughout the region was an essential factor in establishing the minimal security prerequisites for future development projects to be undertaken effectively.

Hence, an integrated and proportional approach to security and development ("security first") was elaborated and, in principle, endorsed at a high-level consultation of the UN/UNDP and donor countries held in New York on 21 October 1996.

In this spirit, a UNIDIR/UNDP conference on conflict prevention, disarmament and development in West Africa was convened in Bamako on 25-29 November 1996. Delegations from 12 West African countries sought common ground on options for future regional cooperation. The moratorium proposal drew particular interest throughout the conference. Delegates undertook to convey the suggestion to their respective governments for further consideration.

As participants in the Bamako Conference, both ECOWAS and ANAD took an active part in the discussions on the moratorium idea. Subsequently, the secretariat of the OAU was briefed on the proposal.

In February 1997, "Friends of the Chair" of the Wassenaar Arrangement--an export control forum based in Vienna--were likewise informed of the moratorium proposal, and of the West African wish to conduct a dialogue on the matter.

Another consultation of West African countries held in Bamako in March 1997, was attended by a representative of the Chairman in Office of the Wassenaar Arrangement in an observer capacity. This meeting agreed that the moratorium might be of a three-year duration.

In a public statement of 10 December 1997, the Wassenaar Arrangement "welcomed and encouraged the initiative of the West African countries in establishing a moratorium on import, export and manufacture of light weapons."

In its communiqué of 12 March 1998, the ECOWAS meeting of foreign ministers held in Abidjan instructed the ECOWAS secretariat to prepare a draft text for the declaration of the moratorium proposal with a view to its adoption and announcement at the upcoming summit of ECOWAS.

At the twenty-first ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS, meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 30-31 October 1998, all 16 Heads of State of ECOWAS "solemnly declare(d) a moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons in ECOWAS member states which shall take effect from the first day of November 1998, for a renewable period of three (3) years."

In a public statement of 3 December 1998, the Participating States of the Wassenaar Arrangement confirmed that they "will undertake an appropriate collaborative role with ECOWAS member states to respect the provisions of the moratorium and will be open to providing advisory and/or technical assistance in the implementation of the moratorium."

At the ECOWAS Foreign Ministers meeting in Bamako, Mali, 24-25 March 1999, a plan of action was agreed for measures to be undertaken within the framework of the moratorium, to create a secure environment for development. Four areas were singled out for immediate financial assistance.

The Moratorium is a framework within which a number of measures must be taken in order to achieve the objectives of secure peace and development. Sometimes referred to as associated measures, these measures are vitally important for the success of the entire undertaking, and technical and financial assistance is needed to enhance confidence in the framework as well as to implement these measures in the course of the three-year "period of grace," i.e. while the moratorium is in force. 

From a list of nine priority items, the Foreign Ministers encouraged immediate financial support for the Program for Co-ordination and Assistance for Security and Development (PCASED) in the following four areas:

1. measures to enhance confidence in the moratorium, such as improving controls at harbors, airports and border crossings. To this end, donor country assistance is sought for the installation and effective operation of such control mechanisms;
2. security sector reform, including initiating and strengthening regional training programs for the uniformed services;
3. incentive schemes to collect and destroy weapons in uncontrolled circulation or unauthorized possession; and
4. cooperation with civil society organizations.

The Foreign Ministers decided to notify the UN Security Council and the Wassenaar Arrangement of the entry into force of the Moratorium, and of the list of the categories of light weapons covered by it. Notice has already been made of the Moratorium in Security Council Resolution 1209 of 19 November 1998, which commends the ECOWAS members for their subregional initiative in combating illicit arms flows.

The Foreign Ministers furthermore supported the convening of the high-level consultation that has been initiated by the Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers (NISAT) to promote international support for the Program for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development (PCASED), which was established under UNDP auspices to facilitate the implementation of the Moratorium and its associated measures. PCASED was officially launched in Bamako on 25 March on the occasion of the Foreign Ministers meeting. The high-level consultation was convened at the Henri Dunant Center in Geneva on 5 May.