The document discusses challenges and steps needed to achieve the goal of silencing guns in Africa by 2020. It identifies key sources of conflicts as inequality, poverty, challenges to democracy like political exclusion and term limits, human rights violations, proliferation of arms, and state fragility enabled by corruption and exploitation of natural resources. It argues the existing roadmap to silence guns is too generic and needs prioritization of active conflicts with benchmarks. Additional steps proposed include independent monitoring of democracy and human rights, sanctions for failures, limiting presidential terms, protecting civic space, and improving accountability mechanisms like the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights. Control of arms proliferation through agreements and limiting their availability is also emphasized.

1. Silencing the guns in Africa by
2020 & Beyond
how to get there?
Désiré Assogbavi
Resident Rep. & Head of Office
Oxfam Liaison Office to the African Union
Peace & Security
Council
14 June 2017

2. Sources of Conflicts in Africa
Inequality within the society @ 3 levels : Political, Economic & Social
(Mostly with predominant ethnical connotation)
 Extreme and wide-spread Poverty
 Democracy challenges: Political exclusion, and unlimited term on
power, Pressure on the opposition, the media, Electoral fraud
 Gross violation of Human Rights
 Proliferation of Arms
 Fragility of the states … manifested by: Systematic Corruption at all
level of power encouraged by impunity
 Illicit Financial Flows most of the time in Conspiration with power
holders encouraged by Uncontrolled exploitation of Natural
Resources
Page 2

3. The Master Roadmap for Silencing the Guns by 2020
 The roadmap rightly identified the challenges
 It also proposed pertinent and useful steps … mechanisms
But, for this type of exercise & for such an ambitious goal to be reached in
3 years…
 The Master Roadmap seems too generic… It needs to set targeted
priorities for active & intense conflicts with benchmarks & timeframes.
 At the same time, we need to work on volatile situations & potential
conflicts…
My Presentation will propose:
 Complementary Contributions on Priority Actions
 Some Additional Modalities for Mobilizing & Actions
 Some Important additional Steps and Missing Elements
Page 3

4. Do we Have the Conditions for Silencing the Guns Now?
No! … But…
We have tools….: Progressive standards, instruments, treaties,
decisions, declarations…
We have a number of institutions at various levels but we need
to revisit their roles as well as their coordination
Some much-needed institutions are on our wish list but are still
missing in the reality (justice)
Some actions are taken but… only to tick the box: without any
serious impact (election observation).. We need games change
…
Page 4

5. CHALLENGES…
& PRACTICAL STEPS
Page 5

6. Persistence of Denials in Situations
of Brewing/Potential Crises
Deficits in enhancing and
deepening democracy, respect of
human dignity, human rights and
good governance
Expose them? How?

7.  We Need an independent institutional monitoring of the state of democracy
and human rights in Africa… A Task Force of a Eminent Personalities on
Silencing the Gun --- Must be able to publish their periodic report without
conditions or pre-approval – It should build on existing mechanisms (AGA,
APRM, ACHPR, Panel of the wise, APSA) – Also tasked to monitor this
Roadmap for the 3 years.
 Gross Failure to democracy, basic human rights standards & shared values
be recognized and regarded as Acts of Sabotage of the Agenda 2063, our
common aspirations… & practically & effectively sanctioned.
 Election Observations by the AU must have objectives different from just
ticking the box. Here, the AU is engaging its credibility vis as vis our
citizens… If all elections are declared free & fair …then there is a serious
credibility or methodology problem with the observations… Detailed
observation report to be public.
Page 7

8. Page 8

9. Cont...
Electoral fraud is serious enough to be formally
considered and declared by the Union as an element of
unconstitutional change of government and a denial of our
shared values with all consequences
Behaviors such as imprisonment of opposition leaders for
political reasons create conditions for social unrest …
leading to more conflicts… The Union must stand against
it immediately as a common policy
A comprehensive sanction regime must be tabled and
adopted quickly including sanctions for non compliance of
democracy, HR and governance principles…
Page 9

10. Cont2...
 Unlimited Presidential Terms: It is time to table it for discussion
now!
- Having free & fair elections is still a struggle in many countries
- It will be difficult to avoid Burkina Faso and Burundi scenarios
- In some situations a coup seem to be the only solution
- ECOWAS nearly achieved it (May 2015)
 Citizens' Participations, Civic Space & Freedom of Expression: since
2009 at least 29 Law anti-CSOs have been enacted in Africa. The
Assembly to declare a moratorium on any new law and commission
a review of existing CSOs law in relation with AU shared values
instruments
 A Multi - Stakeholder Platform for Silencing the Gun?: To include
non-state actors… It should be a collective responsibility !
Page 10

11. UNCONTROLLED ARMS?

12. Page 12

13. Let’s Make Guns are Unavailable and Unattractive
 Today Bananas and tomatoes are more restricted in markets
than the trade of AK-47. We must universally ratify the Global
Arms Trade Treaty, and for its robust implementation… but
also the 4 sub-regional mechanisms. So far only 21 African
countries have join the ATT
 Joining the ATT will also help to monitor inflow of arms in
Africa
 The guns are mostly carried by desperate & vulnerable youth
who, most of the time, have nothing else to lose. They are in
Somalia, South Sudan, Darfur, CAR, DRC, Nigeria, Mali etc…
Silencing the guns should also imply give job & hope to the
youth.
 There is a strong link between youth unemployment & their
involvement with armed groups
Page 13

14. REC’s Agreements for Arms Control
Regional Agreements on Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
SADC Protocol on Control of Fire Arms, Ammunitions and other Related
Materials (2001)
Nairobi Protocol on the Control, Prevention, and Reduction of SALW in the
GLR the HoA and Bordering States (2004)
The ECWAS Convention on SALW, their Ammunitions and Related Material
(2006)
Central African Convention on Control of SALW …..Kinshasa Convention
(2010)
Regional frameworks are not enough to silence the guns
due to the global connections of the arms trade

15. About our Institutions

16.  Peace & Security Council: It unetical & inappropriate to contimue allowing
countries in conflicts to seat in or chair the Peace and Security Council. It
is a matter of credibility... Rules of procedure must be amended.
 Accountability for Crimes: Currently there is no justice & accountability
mechanism for the heinous crimes being committed on our people by our
people. In 20 years, only 30 African States ratified the protocol establishing
the African Court of HR. We need a decision and action on this. All AU
Members should join this protocol without delay.
 The Amended Protocol giving criminal jurisdiction to the Court has not
been ratified by any African state, 2 years after its adoption in Malabo. - So,
There is nothing that criminals & potential criminals will fear now in Africa.
So, Why is Africa is in the hurry withdraw from the ICC in mass ?
 There is an opportunity now to work together to improve what is not going
well at the ICC, having now African leadership…
 Civil Society = ECOSOCC?: Because of the institutional restriction, Need
for an Advisory Body of the wider Civil Society
Page 16

17. Without Justice and
Accountability, People will
Loose their Trust in
Everything
Except for the Guns

18. Page 18

19. Some Material Available
Report: The Human Cost of Uncontrolled Arms
in Africa: Cross-national research on seven
African countries
Documentary on violence against women in
Central Africa Republic’s conflict.
Report: “From Aspiration to Reality”: Unpacking
the African Mining Vision
Page 19

20. Thanks !
Emails: Desire.Assogbavi@Oxfam.org
Assogbavi@me.com
Twitter: @assodesire
Blog: www.assodesire.com
Tel.: +251 911208332