The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) has called on states to strengthen political commitment and take concrete action to prevent the diversion of small arms and light weapons (SALW) into illicit markets, warning that diversion remains one of the greatest threats to peace, security and development across Africa and beyond.
The call was made by Miss Theodora Williams Anti, Executive Director of FOSDA, during the Ninth Biennial Meeting of States (BMS9) on the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). The meeting was held from June 1 to June 5, 2026, in New York, at a time of growing global insecurity fuelled by armed conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime.
Speaking at the meeting, Ms Anti emphasised that while significant progress has been made in strengthening international arms control frameworks, the continued diversion of legally manufactured and transferred weapons into illicit circulation remains a major challenge.
The elephant in the room
She questioned how non-state armed groups, terrorists, insurgents and criminal networks continue to acquire weapons despite existing national, regional and international control measures.
“The reality is that many of these actors are not manufacturing the weapons they use,” Ms Anti said. “Weapons are often diverted from legal production, legal transfers or national stockpiles before finding their way into illicit markets and ultimately into the hands of unauthorised users.”
She warned that the continued leakage of weapons from legal to illegal channels undermines peacebuilding efforts, fuels conflict, enables terrorism and contributes to widespread insecurity.
She added that if the international community is serious about reducing armed violence, it must also address the pathways through which weapons are diverted into illicit circulation.
Across Africa, she noted, illicit small arms and light weapons continue to fuel armed conflict, violent extremism, terrorism, communal violence and transnational organised crime. From the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea, armed groups continue to exploit weaknesses in stockpile management, border controls and regulatory systems to acquire weapons used against civilians and state authorities.
The consequences, she said, are severe, including displacement of communities, destruction of livelihoods, reversal of development gains and weakened public confidence in state institutions.
She stressed that preventing diversion goes beyond arms control and is also a matter of peacebuilding, governance and development.
FOSDA said preventing diversion is essential to the effective implementation of key international and regional instruments, including the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) and the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and Other Related Materials.
It noted that while these frameworks provide important commitments and practical measures for regulating the transfer, possession, tracing and management of small arms and light weapons, their effectiveness depends on strong national implementation, political will and sustained investment in enforcement and oversight.
The issue of diversion, FOSDA added, is also central to the African Union’s Silencing the Guns agenda.
It said the aspiration of a peaceful, secure and prosperous Africa cannot be achieved while weapons continue to flow into illicit markets and fuel violence across the continent. It called for stronger national controls, enhanced regional cooperation and greater accountability in the management, transfer and storage of weapons.
A key focus of BMS9 was the impact of emerging technologies on arms control.
Discussions highlighted growing concerns about 3D-printed firearms, polymer weapons, modular weapons and the increasing use of digital platforms in illicit arms trafficking. Experts also noted the implications of artificial intelligence and other technological innovations for both arms control and proliferation.
While technology presents opportunities for improving marking, tracing, record-keeping and stockpile management, it also creates new risks that require urgent attention.
FOSDA called on states to invest in research, capacity building and cooperation with the private sector to ensure that technological advancements strengthen arms control rather than facilitate illicit manufacture and trafficking.
“We call on states to strengthen political commitment to prevent the diversion of small arms and light weapons to illicit markets and unauthorised recipients through effective export risk assessments, authenticated end-user certification, post-shipment verification measures, robust legal and regulatory frameworks, enhanced stockpile management and stronger accountability mechanisms,” Ms Anti said.
It added that the success of the UN Programme of Action will not be measured by the number of meetings held or statements delivered, but by whether fewer weapons reach terrorists, criminals and armed groups, and whether communities experience greater peace and security.
“The world does not need more commitments. It needs action.
Source: FOSDA
