Illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) presents a direct threat to the development of our region and the African
Continent at large. The easy availability of SALW continues to escalate armed conflict, sustain poaching and cattle rustling, and abet terrorism and other serious crimes. To address this serious issue a range of international and regional initiatives and agreements have been concluded that commit Member States to a series of regulatory and control measures to tackle the proliferation of SALW. In 2004, the Nairobi Protocol was put in place in 2004, setting in place the establishment of the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) whose sole mandate is the coordination of all SALW interventions within Member States. In the framework of this Protocol member states have undertaken the harmonization of their national legislation with international and regional SALW instruments.
