Do most of Malawi’s illegal small arms come from Mozambique? This report finds that there does seem to be a (reduced) inflow of arms from Mozambique used for violent crime. Efforts by the Malawian state to curb small arms proliferation appear to have had little impact, however. Malawi requires more coordinated and better-resourced measures to reduce the inflow of arms, but should also recognise domestic proliferation issues. In particular, the arms caches of the disbanded political militia need to be found and the use of the police or armed forces’ own weapons in crime needs to be acknowledged and addressed.
Mozambique is blamed by the Malawian police as the main source of of illegal arms (AK-47s and Makarov pistols) used for violent crime in Malawi. Malawi’s central and southern provinces adjoin Mozambique, and the border is porous. However, Malawi still has one of the lowest violent crime rates in Africa.
It seems that some, and potentially most, of the weapons used for armed crime in Malawi come from Mozambique. However, the proportion cannot be accurately established without greater clarity on the use of state firearms in armed crime and the use of firearms from disbanded militias’ arms caches. Given the low number of armed robberies reported in Malawi, however, the evidence suggests that only a trickle of weapons are entering the country from Mozambique.
- The likely reasons for the reduction in firearms exports from Mozambique to Malawi to a trickle (from a much higher level shortly after the Mozambican civil war) are a fall in supply and weak demand. Supply seems to have fallen as a result of the partial success of disarmament operations in Mozambique. Demand is weak in Malawi due to worsening poverty (reducing both the affordability of weapons and number of lucrative targets for criminals) and the lack of a gun culture (arising from the country’s avoidance of civil war).
- Popular entry points for Mozambican arms into Malawi seem to be the Dedza and Mwanza districts. In both, armed crime figures are unusually high.
- Malawian road-blocks are overstaffed by underpaid and ill-equipped police, resulting in corruption and ineffective check points.
- The issue of Malawian police and armed forces’ firearms being loaned out for crime seems to be more serious than the police acknowledge.
- Malawi established a National Focal Point on Small Arms in early 2006, but this has taken little action.
If illegal firearms supply from Mozambique, demand in Malawi (or both) start rising, the result would be proliferation. The NFP on Small Arms therefore needs more political support and resources and regular meetings.
- The NFP should raise awareness among police, Revenue Authority, and Department of Immigration officials about firearms proliferation and better ways of working collaboratively to address it.
- The proposed joint commission between Malawi and Mozambique needs to be established, with sufficient political and financial backing.
- More research is needed into the size and location of the arms caches of the disbanded militias (the Malawi Young Pioneers and the Young Democrats).
