Arms brokering in Southern Africa

The report examines arms brokering practices and national legislation in 12 Southern African countries, including Angola, Botswana, DRC, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. It finds that most of these states lack specific domestic laws to regulate brokers, leaving them vulnerable to illicit trafficking and sanctions-busting. While South Africa and Mauritius have established comprehensive brokering controls, others rely on outdated laws or general criminal codes. The document emphasizes the role of regional frameworks like the SADC Protocol and international treaties such as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and the UN Programme of Action (UNPoA) in closing legislative loopholes and improving cross-border cooperation.

• Most reviewed Southern African countries lack specific national legislation to regulate arms brokering, which creates loopholes for illicit brokers to exploit.
• South Africa and Mauritius are the only SADC member states that have established specific domestic laws to control arms brokering.
• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces severe operational challenges in controlling arms brokering due to limited state infrastructure, including a lack of radar for airspace monitoring and ineffective border controls.
• In Angola, the primary source of illicit arms is the internal circulation of military weapons remaining from the civil war, rather than cross-border trafficking.
• Zimbabwe's state-owned company, Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), has been implicated in controversial brokering activities, including alleged sanctions-busting transfers to Liberia and Sierra Leone and a fraudulent arms deal with Sri Lanka.
• The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), adopted in 2013, is described as a hybrid instrument that combines elements of the UNPoA, the Firearms Protocol, and the ITI to cover both small arms and conventional weapons.
• The SADC Protocol defines arms brokering as acting as an intermediary for a commission or advantage to facilitate the transfer, documentation, or payment of firearms and ammunition transactions.
• Mauritius uses its anti-money laundering and terrorism financing legislation as a tool to combat illicit arms brokering, given its status as a global financial hub.
• In Namibia, the BAE Systems and Saab aircraft deal with South Africa involved the use of covert brokers and front companies, such as Red Diamond Trading Ltd, to facilitate bribes and influence procurement officials.
• Tanzania has faced challenges with arms brokering linked to the instability in the eastern DRC, with reports of individuals in Tanzania facilitating transfers to the FDLR rebel group.

APA

Alusala, N., & Shadung, M. (2017). Arms brokering in Southern Africa. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/46cdf4b3-98de-4074-bd64-be0df4695fff/Arms brokering in Southern Africa.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Alusala, Nelson, and Mothepa Shadung. Arms brokering in Southern Africa. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2017. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/46cdf4b3-98de-4074-bd64-be0df4695fff/Arms brokering in Southern Africa.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Alusala |first1=Nelson |last2=Shadung |first2=Mothepa |title=Arms brokering in Southern Africa |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2017 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/46cdf4b3-98de-4074-bd64-be0df4695fff/Arms brokering in Southern Africa.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{alusala2017arms, author = {Alusala, Nelson and Shadung, Mothepa}, title = {{Arms brokering in Southern Africa}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2017}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/46cdf4b3-98de-4074-bd64-be0df4695fff/Arms brokering in Southern Africa.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }