Earl Conteh-Morgan | University of South Florida
During the recent G-20 meeting in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel floated the idea that African countries should be given weapons as part of development aid so that they could be more effective in combating militant groups.
This was a bold departure from the traditional emphasis on economic aid as the bedrock of development efforts in African countries. To many, and for most African states, her statement sounded like a contradiction in terms because spending on arms can divert funds from vital areas such as food security, health care and education.
Over the past 20 years Africa has been transitioning from a focus on economic integration to one on security. Until the late 1990s the emphasis in many regions was on economic integration. This was clear from the consolidation of a number of regional economic integration communities like the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
But since the turn of the century, there has been a much bigger focus on security and fighting radical Jihadist groups typically affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. As of May 2015, there were nine UN Peacekeeping missions in Africa. The big shift towards security started in 2002 when the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) was formed. This was followed by a security partnership being agreed between the African Union and the EU. And then there are sub-regional security forces like Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group and the Sahel G5 states’ counter-terrorism force.
As a result of the growing threat from terror groups, a number of countries, with the help of major powers, have boosted their military capabilities. These include Mali, Nigeria, Cote d&#8217;Ivoire to name a few.
Merkel’s statement was made in the context of many African countries experiencing economic growth while, at the same time, battling militant and terrorist groups.
The view seems to be that by helping Africa contain instability, growth rates will be enhanced, and Europe relieved of mass migrations.
<h2>Increase military capability</h2>
Increased securitisation – the emphasis on a militarily strong state at the expense of basic human needs and a strong civil society – started after the 1998 Al-Qaeda attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. These led to the creation of AFRICOM which included putting active American troops on the continent. Djibouti serves as a forward base for AFRICOM. It also included a commitment from the US to train and advise African countries that request it. Current key beneficiaries of US military assistance are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Uganda Chad, Cameroon, and Mauritania.
In addition, French troops have become more active in Africa. In Mali they are helping the government contain Jihadist organisations in the north of the country.
There are also regional international efforts, such as the security partnership between the European Union the African Union, and the UN Mission established to contain terrorist attacks in the Sahel region. Known as the G5 Sahel force, it includes troop contributions from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
France and the US are also active in the Sahel region providing training and equipment to the militaries of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Naiger and Mauritania, and engaging in joint exercises with the G5 forces.
Merkel’s proposal is aimed at taking these engagements even further. What’s she’s put on the table is a compact with Africa and the G20 which includes weapons transfer as development aid.
<h2>Implications</h2>
Merkel’s suggestion would mean more weapons on a continent that is already awash with small arms and light weapons. It can’t be denied that Africa as a secure continent would benefit Europe. But weapons as development aid sounds like a contradiction. Do weapon transfers in fact contribute to development?
There are studies that show that the acquisition of weapons by developing countries doesn’t contribute to development.
I believe that more weapons on the continent would have the opposite effect. The African continent already has a great deal of weapons which exacerbate civil strife. Evidence points to the fact that weapons transfers are responsible for conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Somalia, among others.
More weapons and an increased military presence for incumbent African regimes could have negative consequences.
Firstly, it could lead to even more violations of the rule of law as incumbent regimes become militarily stronger.
Secondly, it would improve the changes of regimes surviving longer. They would have the wherewithall to violate human rights even more, as well as suppress opposition voices. And finally, weapons could be diverted to rebel groups through political corruption or for personal selfish objectives.
In conclusion the G20 Compact with Africa is very encouraging. But when it comes to the transfer of more weapons, donors and investors should make sure that this is done under strict rules and regulations. Conditions for receiving aid should also be based on strict adherence to the rule of law, and in particular democratic processes.
In the end the biggest emphasis should be on private investments – as set out in the compact – which will generate millions of jobs for the unemployed.
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This article was first published on The Conversation.

Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

South African police said they discovered weapons and explosives including a suicide bomb vest stashed in the basement of a Johannesburg building on Monday.
Police spokesman Mavela Masondo said they were called after workers renovating the building found a &#8220;suspicious bag&#8221;.
<blockquote>&#8220;Our bomb disposal unit found 60 bombs and seven assault rifles including AK-47s in the bag,&#8221; Masondo added.</blockquote>
In a sweep of the area, police discovered more weapons in the basement of the building, including a suicide bomb vest and pistols, Masondo said. No arrests have been made.
(Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng; editing by Andrew Roche)

South African police find weapons stash in basement

The U.S. State Department has approved a possible $418 million sale to Kenya of aircraft with weapons and related support, a Pentagon agency said on Monday.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement the approval was for the possible sale of up to 12 Air Tractor AT-802L planes and two AT-504 trainer aircraft, a weapons package, technical support and program management. The prime contractor is L3 Technologies Inc, formerly known as L-3 Communications, at its Platform Integration Division, in Waco, Texas.﻿

U.S. State Dept approves possible $418 mn military aircraft sale to Kenya

South Sudanese government forces have acquired two jet fighters and truckloads of small arms ammunition and were seeking to manufacture bullets, while opposition troops have not received any significant arms shipments, U.N. sanctions monitors said in a confidential report seen by Reuters on Thursday.
They also said that armed government actors were imposing &#8220;debilitating movement restrictions&#8221; on U.N. peacekeepers and warned that the economy of the world&#8217;s newest nation has effectively collapsed due to government policies that include buying weapons instead of funding social services.
The report, on arms flows and security threats to South Sudan since a transitional government was formed in April, strengthens the case for an arms embargo, a move recommended by the monitors to the Security Council in January. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also called for an arms embargo.
&#8220;There is no evidence to suggest that more weapons are required in South Sudan for the government to achieve a stable security environment,&#8221; the U.N. monitors said. &#8220;Rather, the continued influx of weapons &#8230; contributes to spreading instability and the continuation of the conflict.&#8221;
They said that while Sudan had provided small arms, bullets and logistical support to opposition troops, they &#8220;found no evidence to date that Sudan &#8211; or any other neighboring country &#8211; has provided heavy weapons &#8230; which has limited the opposition&#8217;s ability to mount large-scale operations.&#8221;
However, the monitors received reports that government troops have made significant, ongoing arms procurements including the likely recent acquisition of two L-39 fighter jets.
&#8220;While the panel has received preliminary reports from two sources that the jets were serviced and painted in Uganda, the panel has not yet been able to confirm their origin or if these jets have been purchased or are on loan,&#8221; the monitors said.
Two truckloads of ammunition were transferred to the capital Juba from Uganda in June, while late last year South Sudanese army chief Paul Malong asked a Lebanese company to begin developing a small &#8216;arms ammunition manufacturing facility in Juba, the monitors said.
&#8220;It is not clear from currently available information whether this project has proceeded in the intervening period,&#8221; they added.
TALK OF ARMS EMBARGO
In the wake of deadly violence in Juba in July, the council said it would discuss an arms embargo if Ban reports this month that the government was not cooperating with the deployment of 4,000 more peacekeepers and was obstructing 12,000 U.N. troops already on the ground.
A U.N. peacekeeping mission (UNMISS) has been in South Sudan since the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
The U.N. monitors said that in rhetoric and action, government-affiliated forces &#8220;have actively threatened the operations and personnel of UNMISS and other U.N. agencies, and both parties have continued to target humanitarian workers.&#8221;
During the violence in July, between 80 and 100 uniformed soldiers overran Juba&#8217;s Hotel Terrain compound, home to the staff of international organizations, and in four hours killed an ethnic Nuer journalist and raped at least five foreign aid workers and other staff working at the compound, the monitors said.
The monitors said that given the number of soldiers involved, the number of items stolen and the systematic damage inflicted, &#8220;this attack was well coordinated and cannot be considered as an opportunistic act of violence and robbery.&#8221;
The U.N. Security Council has long threatened to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan after the country spiraled into civil war in 2013, but veto powers Russia and China are wary that such a move would benefit opposition fighters because it would be harder to monitor them than to police the government.
The Security Council set up a targeted sanctions regime for South Sudan in March 2015, then in July blacklisted six generals &#8211; three from each side of the conflict &#8211; by subjecting them to an asset freeze and travel ban.
A political rivalry between President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and opposition leader Riek Machar, a Nuer, sparked the civil war. The pair signed a shaky peace deal a year ago, but fighting has continued. Machar fled the country after the violence between their troops erupted in July.
The monitors said in the report &#8211; which was requested by the Security Council &#8211; that &#8220;the actions and policies of the two major parties&#8221; pose the most severe security threats to the peace deal and the transitional government.
&#8220;The focus of many of the central military and political figures on mobilizing their respective tribes has continued to escalate the conflict from a primarily political to a tribal war,&#8221; the monitors said.
 
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

South African police find weapons stash in basement

U.S. State Dept approves possible $418 mn military aircraft sale to Kenya

While economy crumbles, South Sudan buys weapons – report

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Op-Ed: The danger of supplementing aid to Africa with weapons

South African police find weapons stash in basement

U.S. State Dept approves possible $418 mn military aircraft sale to Kenya

While economy crumbles, South Sudan buys weapons – report

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