Committee: DISEC
Topic Area A: Illicit Arms Trade
Country: Senegal
Delegate: Milan Colzani
School: Fishers High School
Foremost, the delegation from Senegal would like to stress the impact that the trading of illicit arms has on vulnerable regions. Trading illicit arms in these regions is likely to increase conflict and war, which only perpetuates the current adverse situations that developing countries are in. For example, within Senegal, the conflict regarding the ongoing secession attempt from the Casamance region is being furthered by the illegal arms sales within the region. The death count for this conflict is estimated to be 1,000, with many of these deaths being caused through SW’s and LW’s (Small Arms and Light Weapons). Additionally, the estimated number of illicit/illegal firearms within Senegal in 2017 was 315,947, with the legal number being 7,053. Therefore, it’s imperative to the nation of Senegal that this conflict is resolved or at least minimized.
Furthermore, the delegation of Senegal has two proposals on how to limit/resolve the problem. Firstly, looking at solutions that Senegal has utilized in the past, conducting campaigns to remove illicit firearms from affected regions is an effective solution. During the years of 2014 through 2018, the National Commission to Combat the Proliferation and Illicit Circulation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (ComNat-ALPC) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) joined together to combat the illicit firearms trade within Western Africa, with one of these nations being Senegal. 17,928 firearms were located and marked in 2018, demonstrating the success of this campaign.
Lastly, the second solution that the delegation of Senegal would be working towards is to stop the illicit arms sales from the source. Although Senegal has not tried this solution as of yet, it has the potential to be effective. This would include increasing regulations that the largest exporters of SA’s and LW’s would have to follow. By increasing regulations, and ensuring that these exporters (such as the United States, Russia, and France) have to trade within legal boundaries, we will not only be reducing this conflict, but reducing it from the source.
Sources
Schroeder, Matt. “The Illicit Arms Trade.” FAS,
fas.org/asmp/campaigns/smallarms/IssueBrief3ArmsTrafficking.html.
Alpers, Philip. “Guns in Senegal – Firearms, Gun Law and Gun Control.” Gun Law and Policy:
Firearms and Armed Violence, Country by Country, www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/senegal.
Helene. “United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.” 2019 01 30 Senegal Awareness Campaign
Firearms, UNODC, 2019, www.unodc.org/westandcentralafrica/en/2019-01-30-senegal-awareness-campaign-firearm s.html.
- Milan Colzani
