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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AFR/somalia-tfg-100.jpg alt= title= /br/Amnesty International has called for arms transfers to the Somali government to be suspended until there are adequate safeguards to prevent weapons from being used to commit war crimes and human rights abuses. br /
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In its latest briefing paper on the country, Amnesty International details US shipments of arms, including mortars, ammunition and cash for the purchase of weapons to the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). br /
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These transfers were made despite substantial risks that such types of weapons could be used in indiscriminate attacks by TFG forces, or diverted to armed groups opposed to the TFG, who also commit gross and widespread abuses. br /
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ldquo;International concern for the future of the Somali government has not been matched by an equal concern for the human rights of civilians,rdquo; said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty International Deputy Director for Africa. br /
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ldquo;Mortar attacks continue to claim lives ndash; it is time for international donors to apply tighter controls to their support for the governmentrdquo; br /
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Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s briefing also details growing international programmes of military and police training for TFG forces, despite a lack of adequate oversight procedures. br /
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The training is delivered in Somalia itself and in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti and Uganda. The European Union, France, Germany and Italy are involved, or have pledged funding for it. br /
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Amnesty International calls for all states providing, financing or planning military and police training for the TFG to provide training in international humanitarian law and on arms management. They should also press for the establishment of oversight procedures for TFG forces. br /
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A UN arms embargo on Somalia has been in place since 1992 but states can apply to the UN Sanctions Committee for exemptions to supply security assistance to the Somali government. br /
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Amnesty International is urging the committee to apply criteria for assessing the risk thatnbsp; exemptions to the arms embargo will contribute to war crimes and human rights abuses, and to deny authorisations on this basis. br /
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To be effectively implemented, Amnesty International argues that such criteria need to be enshrined in international law and universally applied to all arms transfers. The organisation calls on states to establish such common standards in an international Arms Trade Treaty. br /
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Somalia has been mired in armed conflict since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991. Conflict intensified and unlawful killings of civilians increased after Ethiopian troops entered Somalia at the end of 2006 to help the TFG fight against several armed opposition groups from whom it has been seeking to regain territorial control. br /
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Despite a peace agreement between the TFG and one armed group, the appointment of a President issued from the former armed opposition and the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from Somalia, armed opposition groups have continued attacks against the TFG. In May 2009, they launched a major offensive against the TFG, which currently only controls a small part of the capital Mogadishu. br /
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In 2009, indiscriminate attacks by all parties to the armed conflict have resulted in thousands of civilians killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. The number of people internally displaced within Somalia is now 1.5 million and some 3.7 million are dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival.

Today at the United Nations after years of discussions and debates, the vast majority of governments ndash; 153 in total – agreed a timetable to establish a quot;strong and robustquot; Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with the quot;highest common standardsquot; to control international transfers of conventional arms. There is currently no global Treaty on the conventional arms trade. br /
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Most of the world’s biggest arms traders ndash; including the USA, UK, France and Germany – will now all back the UN process. Nineteen states abstained but are all expected to take part in the process. Zimbabwe was the only State to vote against. br /
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During the debates on the resolution, many countries spoke out and underlined the need for the treaty to be based on international law, including international human rights and humanitarian law. br /
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The Control Arms campaign ndash; a coalition of hundreds of non-governmental organizations in over 100 countries that has promoted the ATT – welcomed the historic breakthrough at the UN today and called on all States to negotiate a truly effective Treaty. They warned that governments must keep up the momentum to ensure the final Treaty has firm international standards for the global arms trade. Campaigners expressed reservations about the procedure planned for the UN Conference that could give every State the right of veto over final decisions at the UN Conference. They warned a small number of sceptical States must not be allowed to hijack the ATT process when it is clear the world wants a strong treaty. br /
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ldquo;All countries participate in the conventional arms trade and share responsibility for the lsquo;collateral damagersquo; it produces ndash; widespread death, injuries and human rights abuses,rdquo; said Rebecca Peters, director of the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA). ldquo;Now finally governments have agreed to negotiate legally binding global controls on this deadly trade.rdquo; br /
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The agreement in the UN today means that the eventual ATT will be negotiated in a series of UN meetings concluding at a UN Conference in 2012. br /
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ldquo;The Arms Trade Treaty needs a lsquo;golden rulersquo; requiring governments to stop any proposed arms transfer that poses a substantial risk of being used for serious violations of human rights or war crimes,quot; said Brian Wood, Amnesty International’s head of arms control, ldquo;such a golden rule could save hundreds of thousands of lives and protect the livelihoods of many millions.quot; br /
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The resolution on the ATT also highlights the issue of international arms transfers contributing to armed conflict, displacement of people, organised crime and terrorism, thereby undermining peace, safety, security and sustainable development. br /
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quot;For too long, governments have let the flow of weapons get out of control causing pain, suffering and death in some of the world’s poorest regions. With hundreds of thousands of people dying a year from armed violence, weapons that fall into the hands of criminals and rights abusers destroy communities and livelihoods.quot; said Anna Macdonald of Oxfam International. quot;Governments must ensure that negotiations live up to the promise of setting the highest possible standards – this is a life and death situation for thousands of poor people worldwide.quot; br /
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* The States that abstained were: Bahrain, Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Venezuela and Yemen. br /
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img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/General/controlarms-gallery-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/p
Campaigners from Amnesty International and other Control Arms Campaign partners are in New York this month, attending the First Committee of the UN General Assembly, campaigning for the start of negotiations for an effective International Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). br /
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A photo exhibition compiled and staged by the Control Arms Campaign, is mounted just outside the conference chamber where government delegates are debating the ATT document.br /
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The exhibition shows visually the six legal components that the Control Arms Campaign is urging states to incorporate into an effective Arms Trade Treaty.br /
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Sixteen of the images featured in the exhibition can be seen in the gallery in this story.br /
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Every day, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, and forced to flee from their homes as a result of irresponsible and poorly regulated international arms transfers.br /
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These problems are compounded by the increasing globalization of the arms trade ndash;components being sourced from across the world, and production and assembly in different countries, sometimes with lax controls.br /
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National and regional state regulation of the arms trade has failed to adapt to these changes. nbsp;br /
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Some of the pictures aim to show the ease with which weapons are transferred around the world, and therefore why there is a need for a comprehensive ATT.br /
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Others show the impact that an effective ATT could have on people’s lives: helping to prevent serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, and protecting populations against pervasive armed violence, armed crime and acts of terrorism which shatter lives, deepen poverty and prevent socio-economic development.br /
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To achieve this goal, an ATT must establish binding criteria for assessing international arms transfers on a case-by-case basis, and clearly determine when an international arms transfer should be stopped.br /
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The Global Principles illustrated here are based on existing international law. They lay out international civil society’s vision of the underlying principles of an effective, global Arms Trade Treaty.
/p

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/usa-control-arms-un-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/Thursdayrsquo;s announcement by the US government at the United Nations of its support for beginning negotiations on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was welcomed by Oxfam International and Amnesty International. But the two international organisations also warned that Washingtonrsquo;s support comes at a very high price. br /
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The shift in position by the worldrsquo;s biggest arms exporter is a major breakthrough in launching formal negotiations at the United Nations in order to prevent irresponsible arms transfers. It shows that the Obama administration is serious about reducing the negative effects caused by the uncontrolled trade in conventional weapons. br /
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The US government, under the Bush Administration, is the only government to vote against the UN process toward an ATT at the General Assembly in the past. br /
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On Thursday, as part of its support, the US government has given the condition that future negotiations must include a veto clause, by stipulating that decisions at the final conference must be taken by consensus. br /
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This, Oxfam and Amnesty International say, could fatally weaken a final deal. br /
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ldquo;The world has waited a long time for the USA to come on board to support global arms trade negotiations. However, Governments must resist US demands to give any single state the power to veto the treaty as this could hold the process hostage during the course of negotiations. We call on all governments to reject such a veto clause.quot; said Oxfam Internationalrsquo;s policy adviser Debbie Hillier. br /
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Governments are meeting this month in New York in a make-or-break meeting to kick start formal negotiations for a global ATT. br /
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The two international organisations say that new global standards on arms transfers must be agreed in order to prohibit the international transfer of arms likely to be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law or to undermine sustainable development. br /
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ldquo;At long last the US government says that it wants a strong and robust Arms Trade Treaty with the highest possible standardsrdquo;, said Brian Wood of Amnesty International. ldquo;But by giving every single government the right to scupper the UN Conference in 2012, the US position could hugely weaken or delay agreement to tackle irresponsible arms transfers that shatter countless lives worldwide.rdquo;

Amnesty International has called on all states to suspend international supplies of military and police weaponry, munitions and other equipment that could be used to commit human rights violations by Guinean security forces. br /
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The organisation is also calling for an international commission of inquiry to investigate the human rights violations carried out last week in Conakry, in which more than 150 people are thought to have been killed. br /
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ldquo;The transfer of such supplies should stop until the Guinean government has taken steps to prevent these violations from recurring, and has brought to justice those responsible for the brutal attacks last week,rdquo; said Erwin van der Borght, Director of Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s Africa Programme. br /
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The call came as new information emerges about international supplies of South African and French weapons and equipment used by Guinean police and security forces during the past week. br /
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On 6 October Amnesty International raised the issue of irresponsible arms supplies to Guinea at a meeting in thenbsp; United Nations for delegates of the UN General Assembly.nbsp; Brian Wood, Amnesty International’s Control Arms Manager, said: ldquo;ldquo;Arms transfers of the kind we see used for grave human rights violations in Guinea and elsewhere could all be prevented if the UN negotiations can establish an effective Arms Trade Treaty, with a legally-binding human rights risk assessment rule.rdquo; br /
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Amnesty Internationalnbsp; is calling on this month’s UN General Assembly to begin without delay a process of formal negotiations for an international Arms Trade Treaty with a strong rule on human rights.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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Press photos of Guinean police officers taken in Conakry on 1 October show them carrying what appear to be 56mm ‘Cougar’ grenade launchers. br /
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These grenade launchers, made in France, are designed to fire tear gas and kinetic impact grenades also produced by the same French manufacturer. br /
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Guinean security forces were also photographed on 1 October patrolling Conakry in a Mamba armoured personnel carrier (APC). Ten Mamba APCs were sold to Guinea in 2003 by a South Africa-based subsidiary of a UK company, whose spokesperson stated at that time that these vehicles would be used for ldquo;border controlrdquo; in Guinea. Amnesty International has documented the use of Mamba vehicles in Conakry in January 2007 to drive into crowds of peaceful demonstrators while firing at them. br /
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Amnesty International has received information from the French government in the last week indicating that it has authorised the supply of tear gas and other anti-riot grenades to Guinean security forces in recent years, despite Guinean security forces having used these kinds of munitions in persistent serious human rights violations since 1998. Demonstrators and eyewitnesses described to Amnesty International the use of tear gas grenades, alongside live small arms ammunition, against demonstrators gathered in Conakry stadium on 28 September.. br /
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France exported 500 unspecified anti-riot grenades to the Guinean Ministry of Interior during 2006, and in 2008 issued a further pre-export authorisation [agreacute;ment preacute;alable] for the sale to the Guinean Ministry of Interior of stun grenades and 56mm GM-2L tear gas grenades, specifically designed for the launchers seen with Guinean security forces in recent days. br /
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It is not known whether this latest sale has yet received final export authorisation. On 29 September, the French government announced the suspension of military cooperation with Guinea. Amnesty International welcomes this suspension, and urges France and other states to ensure that the suspension includes the supply of military and police weapons, munitions and equipment. br /
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ldquo;These kinds of munitions have been persistently used in serious human rights violations ndash; including unlawful killings, the grossly excessive use of force, and sexual violence ndash; during a decade of violent repression by Guinean security forces,rdquo; said Erwin van der Borght. br /

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/AMR/usa-control-arms-un-100×100.jpg alt= title= /br/More than 100 government officials from around the world attended an event at the United Nations where Amnesty International launched a new briefing on the arms trade. nbsp;br /
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A senior UN peacekeeper working the Democratic Republic of Congo, who is a retired Brigadier General from Pakistan, and the assistant commissioner of police in Jamaica joined with Amnesty International in New York on Tuesday. They described the way irresponsible arms flows have fuelled armed violence in different countries.br /
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They described how hundreds of thousands of people are killed each year as a result of foreseeable patterns of armed violence fuelled by the poorly regulated global trade in conventional arms. This terror trade also contributes to hundreds of thousands more men, women and children being injured, raped, displaced, impoverished, and denied other rights established in international law. br /
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To ensure real security they called for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that must require states not to transfer arms internationally where there is a substantial risk that they will be used in serious violations of international humanitarian or human rights law.br /
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The new briefing paper sets out a workable human rights rule that must be included in an ATT. Amnesty International is keen to ensure that the treaty is effective in delivering real security and protecting lives and livelihoods from the proliferation and misuse of arms. br /
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The First Committee of the UN General Assembly is sitting this October to consider the future process towards an ATT. br /
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quot;It is vital that this month States agree a strong mandate to move from discussions on a treaty to formal negotiations,quot; said Brian Wood from Amnesty International. br /
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The new Amnesty International briefing shows how the absence of international human rights standards for arms transfers undermines real security across the globe: contributing to unlawful killings in Guinea and Myanmar, armed violence against women in Guatemala, and war crimes in Somalia and the DRC.