BRIEF ON REGIONAL PSSM
Overview
RECSA Member States have acknowledged that they have a common enemy
The Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa have been characterized by conflicts fueled by the proliferation of illicit SALW, politics of exclusion, lack of Government security presence, cross-border spill-over effects and economic and social vulnerability.
The illicit trafficking of SALW spans multiple borders and jurisdictions therefore interventions have to be carried out using a cross-border approach requiring a holistic lens to develop the capacities of actors in relevant state agencies in the region who are responsible for the effective management of arms, explosives and ammunition and controlling their illicit trafficking.
RECSA Member States have acknowledged that they have a common enemy which is the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons and are working together under the framework of the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of small arms and light weapons to address this issue.
The proliferation of illicit SALW in the RECSA region has called for cross-border cooperation among neighbouring states which includes the sharing and exchange of information and harmonization of national laws on SALW to complement the international and regional frameworks on arms and weapons. The responsibility of managing and controlling the proliferation of arms lies with Governments. One of the ways to achieve this is by setting up systems and Standard Operating Procedures to be applied during the manufacturing of arms and weapons, enhancing safety during transport and transfer, ensuring the safe storage of state-owned weapons and ammunition, to prevent diversion as well as involving the communities within our borders.
Countries ought to have database systems where all the records and inventories concerning their arms and weapons are documented for accountability. The database should contain information on the weapons manufactured or procured by the government and records on the transfer of the weapons and arms to the various security agencies as the legal end users to the disposal or destruction of the weapon. Such records give an account for the tracing of weapons in case of theft and enhance counter-diversion.
It’s against this background that the Regional Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) training was started in 2012 where it was being organized by MSAG and IPSTC. In March 2019, the programme was handed over to RECSA. Currently, the training programme is jointly organized by the Regional Centre on Small on Small Arms, the International Peace Support Centre & Multinational Small Arms and Ammunition Group with funding from the Government of Austria. The training is held twice per year in Nairobi; in March and October.