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s a f e r w o r l d · w o r k i n g p a p e r 133. Undertake stockpile management, record keeping, collection and destructionactivities.4. Develop and implement a national awareness and education programme to curbproliferation, reduce demand and promote responsible management of SALW.5. Develop international and regional co-operation, facilitate co-ordination, of regionaland sub-regional activities across borders and information exchange.6. Facilitate the control of cross-border movement of people and goods at all entrypoints.7. Mainstream and integrate the NAP activities into the Human Development Plan forthe country, poverty reduction programmes and the existing peacebuilding structures.8. Train and build capacity of all agencies and civil society actors interacting with theNAP or any of its activities.9. Carry out action-oriented research to promote co-operation and interaction with civilsociety in order to build support for the NAP and secure civil society involvement inits implementation.10. Identify and facilitate action on critical areas of control such as cross-border entrypoints, joint and cross-border operations, capacitating the Crime Intelligence Unitand formation of a multi-disciplinary National Firearms Unit.Progress to dateCompared to Kenya, Uganda seems to have made better progress, especially in the areaof policy and legislation and integration of its SALW programmes into the broaderdevelopment policies of the government. 37Research: Uganda carried out a national mapping of SALW in 2002–03 leading todevelopment of an NAP. 38 Different components of this plan have been implementedas outlined below.Policy and legislation: Uganda has ratified the Nairobi Protocol 39 and developedand adopted a national policy on SALW – in October 2010, the cabinet approved thepolicy, making Uganda the first country to finalise an official government policy onSALW within the RECSA region. In addition, the UNFP Secretariat constituted theLegal Drafting Committee in late 2010 and started undertaking the national legislativereview process.Importantly, in 2007, Uganda developed the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament andDevelopment Programme (KIDDP) aimed at creating conditions for promotinghuman security and recovery in Karamoja. The UNFP played a leading role during theKIDDP’s development, by chairing the technical team that developed the programmedocument and co-ordinating the consultations with key stakeholders, although thislevel of involvement has not been maintained by the UNFP during the implementationphase. 40 However, implementing the KIDDP has been challenging, with criticismsbeing levelled at the pace with which development assistance has been brought to thearea as disarmament efforts were implemented. In addition, forceful disarmamentoperations have occurred repeatedly over the last years, undermining the intentionsof the KIDDP to address the factors that encourage people to acquire and useweapons and to conduct disarmament in a way that ensures community buy-in andparticipation. 4137 Based on the analysis of the KIDDP and the progress with the national SALW policy.38 Government of Uganda, Uganda National Action Plan for Arms Control and Management, (Kampala, 2004).39 The government, in compliance with Section 3 (a) of the Ratification of Treaties Act and the Constitution of the Republic ofUganda authorised the Minister of Foreign Affairs to sign the instrument of ratification, dated 15 February 2005, depositedwith the Secretariat on 10 May 2005. www.recsasec.org/ratification.htm, 20 February 2011.40 Interview with Richard Nabudere, former UNFP Coordinator.41 Saferworld, Lessons from the Frontiers: Civilian Disarmament in Kenya and Uganda. (London: Saferworld, 2011).
14 c o n t r o l l i n g s m a l l a r m s a n d l i g h t w e a p o n s in k e n y a a n d u g a n d a : p ro g re s s s o f a rStockpile management: By May 2010, Uganda had destroyed 75,783 SALW, 6,300landmines and 738 tons of ammunition 42 and had marked over 35,000 arms. In theKaramoja region, the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) led a disarmamentexercise that has seen the collection of over 28,000 illicit SALW to date. 43 In onerespect the figures are impressive, and to some degree this has contributed to securityin Karamoja. Yet security problems persist in Karamoja and more work is needed toaddress the reasons why people want to retain their weapons. Moreover, accountsof excessive use of force and human rights violations by the UPDF definitely marthese achievements. 44 However, Uganda’s new initiative to develop an approach thatintegrates disarmament and development (as discussed below under human development)does have potential to address deeper problems if applied countrywide.Progress however in the area of record-keeping has been slow. So far the NFP hasacquired an assortment of equipment to facilitate the setting up of the Central FirearmsRegistry within the Uganda Police Force. A Firearm Information Management Systemhas also been developed and is now ready for deployment to make the Central FirearmsRegistry operational. 45 The NFP is also planning to organise a series of trainings forofficers responsible for managing the Central Firearms Registry. 46Institutional framework: This component of the NAP aims to ensure that the nationalagencies that are responsible for implementing the NAP are set up and have thenecessary resources, authority and skills to ensure that the NAP is effectivelyimplemented. In 2007 a Functional Analysis commissioned by RECSA for both KNFPand UNFP highlighted the challenges faced by the NFP in implementation of theNAPs and recommended measures to strengthen organisational capacity, rationaliseorganisational structure and staffing of the NFP Secretariats. In the case of Uganda,these have not yet been implemented.On the basis of the NAP, 12 RTFs on arms management were initially created, based onthe country’s twelve police administrative regions. 47 However, since the establishmentof the institutional framework, the police regions have increased in number. And as inKenya, it appears that follow-up on these structures by UNFP has been minimal andlittle is being done at this level.Human development: Uganda provides a good example of an integrated programmefor arms reduction. In accordance with the objectives of the 2004 Poverty EradicationAction Plan, Uganda developed the KIDDP. 48 The Poverty Eradication Action Planwas the principal guide to all Government of Uganda development activities, whichin Pillar 3 on ‘Security, Conflict Resolution and Disaster Management’, highlights theimportance of a secure environment for the achievement of recovery and development.It has since been transformed into the National Development Plan, which alsocontains some commitments on small arms control, thereby making disarmamentan integral part of development planning. The KIDDP has also been taken up as theprincipal guiding framework for Karamoja in the Peace, Recovery and DevelopmentPlan for Northern Uganda. 49 However, as noted above, the KIDDP’s implementationhas been slow and sometimes conflict-insensitive.42 RECSA, Implementation of the UNPoA: Status Report on the Implementation of the Nairobi Protocol, (Nairobi: RECSA,2010), pp 20–21.43 Uganda Country Report, ‘Reporting on The Implementation of the United Nations Program of Action (UNPOA) to Prevent,Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects’, at the 4th Biennial Meeting of States, 14–18 June 2010,New York, p 4.44 See ‘Uganda Human Rights Commission Press Release’, New Vision, 23 May 2010, www.newvisionuganda.info/D/526/532/720586, 2 May 2011; Amnesty International, ‘Uganda: Failure to investigate alleged human rights violationsin Karamoja region guarantees impunity’, public statement, 1 November 2010, www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR59/013/2010/en/ea3be8fc-07a3-4010-8d80-7faad5229e2e/afr590132010en.html, 23 May 2011.45 Statement by UNFP Coordinator Mr A Wafuba on ‘The Implementation of the United Nations Program of Action (UNPOA)to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects’, at the 4th Biennial Meeting of States,14–18 June 2010, New York, p 3.46 Op cit, Uganda Country Report, p 5.47 These were: Kampala Extra Region; Central Region; South Eastern Region; Eastern Region; Mid East Region; North EastRegion; Northern Region; North West Region; Western Region; Mid Western Region; Southern Region; South West Region.48 Republic of Uganda, Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme: Creating Conditions for PromotingHuman Security and Recovery in Karamoja, 2007/2008–2009/2010, (Kampala: Office of the Prime Minister, 2007).49 Ibid, p viii.
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