Global Policy Forum

By Fulgence Zamblé

Efforts to identify potential voters and disarm combatants are expected to begin Thursday in strife-torn Cí´te d'Ivoire, in preparation for elections that must take place by the end of October. However, the guns held by rebels and fighters that support the government aren't the only weapons giving cause for concern. There is also alarm about the spread of illegal small arms in this West African country.

"The proliferation of light weapons has reached worrying proportions in Cí´te d'Ivoire," says Ali Ouattara, president of the Ivorian chapter of Amnesty International.

Noted Justice Minister Mamadou Koné, "It stems from the porousness of borders that characterises the countries of our sub-region, and is linked to different armed conflicts which preceded the Ivorian crisis."

This was in reference to Liberia and Sierra Leone, which experienced lengthy civil wars between the end of the 1980s and the early years of this century. Weapons used in these conflicts could easily be taken across frontiers to be placed in service elsewhere. About 10,000 small arms are estimated to be in circulation in Cí´te d'Ivoire, says Ouattara. According to Koné, some are used in armed robberies and drug trafficking.

Delivering an assessment of the country's security situation for the first trimester of 2006 last month, Colonel Georges Guiai Bi Poin -- head of the Command Centre of Security Operations -- said 519 hold-ups had been carried out in the district of Abidjan (Cí´te d'Ivoire's financial capital). A total of 108 weapons were seized, including Kalashnikovs and sub-machine guns.

According to the assessment, and the United Nations Mission in Cí´te d'Ivoire (Opération des Nations Unies en Cí´te d'Ivoire, ONUCI), a resurgence in armed robberies was noted in the town of Duékoué in the west of the country, where two policemen were attacked and robbed of their weapons.

"We must fear the worst. With armed, organised gangs in the west of the country, one is sure of nothing and the worst could happen at any moment," Colonel Alexis Ahipeaud, an expert in military strategy based in Abidjan, told IPS.

ONUCI notes further that the buffer zone separating rebels and government forces is still plagued by bandits that target road users. (Cí´te d'Ivoire has been divided into a rebel-held north and government- controlled south since a failed attempt to dislodge President Laurent Gbagbo in September 2002. The buffer zone separating the two is patrolled by U.N. and French forces.)

Observes Désiré Adjoussou, president of the National Commission to Fight Against the Proliferation and Circulation of Small Arms in Cí´te d'Ivoire, "The phenomenon of bandits that target roads is increasing."

Light weapons are also taking a toll in local disputes. In parts of the south-west, clashes between indigenous inhabitants and people from elsewhere have been reported for two months. According to the Ivorian press, the deaths of 523 peasants killed with caliber 12 rifles have been recorded to date. Further north in the areas controlled by rebels, IPS observed that fighters carry weapons that are not officially registered.

"The carrying of pistols is not really restricted with us. But when it comes to Kalashnikovs or other heavy weapons, we are very strict. None of these types of arms may leave the powder magazine without proper authorisation," rebel commander Counta Dembélé told IPS.

Concerns about the proliferation of small arms led to a 1998 moratorium on the import, export and manufacture of such weapons by the 15 member countries of the Economic Community of West African States. This was followed by a programme of cooperation and assistance for security and development that allowed the creation of national commissions to fight against the proliferation of light weapons -- as well as the publication of a code of conduct for this process.

Despite this, says Ouattara, "A person dies each minute, killed by a fire-arm in the sub-region where three million light weapons are circulating. It is time to take account of this, by regulating the trade in light weapons."

For his part, Justice Minister Koné believes that the attitudes of those holding the guns need to change. "Worthwhile values must be inculcated in our citizens, those of work and the refusal of easy gain," he told IPS.

Action is also being taken at a global level. Three years ago, Amnesty International, Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms launched 'Control Arms', an initiative aimed at curbing weapons proliferation -- notably through an International Arms Trade Treaty. A U.N. World Summit on Small Arms and Light Weapons will be held in June to discuss these issues.

The failed coup of 2002 in Cí´te d'Ivoire was motivated by the alleged exclusion of people living in the north of Cí´te d'Ivoire, a predominantly Muslim region. Immigrants have also found themselves marginalised in recent years, as a worsening economy sparked xenophobia in the country.

In terms of a United Nations-supported peace deal, voter identification and disarmament must take place at the same time (government and the rebels had earlier been at odds over which process should occur first). Ivorian Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny announced Sunday that the two operations would begin simultaneously, Thursday.

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