[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 131 (Thursday, September 6, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ILLICIT GLOBAL SMALL ARMS TRADE

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, illegally traded small arms and light 
weapons are cheap and readily available in many areas of the world. 
These weapons contribute to instability and violence in developing 
regions, creating fertile breeding grounds for rogue actors, 
undisciplined militias, and even terrorists. Confronting the threat of 
global terrorism requires a multifaceted approach which should include 
efforts to curb the illegal small arms trade while promoting programs 
that destroy surplus and obsolete weapons so they are taken out of 
circulation world-wide.
  The M-16 and the AK-47, both automatic rifles, and shoulder launched 
surface-to-air missiles, called Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, or 
MANPADS, are the most commonly traded weapons in the estimated $1 
billion a year illegal arms trade. I am not talking about legal and 
vetted government to government transfers; I am talking about the 
illicit arms trade that results in these weapons ending up, frequently, 
in the most lawless regions of the world and in places where they could 
be used to attack U.S. troops.
  I have just returned from a trip to Africa, where I saw firsthand the 
devastating toll these weapons have had in eastern Democratic Republic 
of Congo, DRC, as well as in northern Uganda. The eastern part of DRC, 
despite that country's successful election last summer, is rife with 
instability and small arms are the weapons of choice. I saw how they 
are used to destabilize communities and how they wreak havoc on 
innocent civilians. I visited a center for ex-combatants in Bunia, in 
the Ituri region of North Kivu, and saw the newly disarmed soldiers 
beginning the process of ``re-entering'' life without a weapon. The 
U.N. agency running this program had already removed the child soldiers 
but many of the former soldiers I saw looked exceedingly young. They 
couldn't have been much older than 18 or 20 and yet there they were 
receiving a second chance at life--a chance to live free of violence.
  In Iraq, the illicit small arms trade supplies insurgent groups that 
continue to hamper U.S.-led efforts to stabilize and rebuild the 
country. In Afghanistan, illegally obtained small arms are used by 
warlords to attack U.S. troops and maintain areas of refuge for 
terrorists. Much of the recent violence that has plunged Somalia into 
chaos has been carried out by extremists with automatic rifles. In 
Colombia, narcoterrorist paramilitary operations, including kidnappings 
and the murder of hostages, are fueled by a steady flow of small arms 
that are smuggled into the country. The influx of small arms into 
Darfur, much of which is in violation of a U.N. arms embargo, has 
helped perpetuate the conflict between the Sudanese government, 
associated Janjaweed militias, and the numerous rebel factions. Many 
other countries in sub-Saharan Africa--including Angola, and Liberia--
have been profoundly impacted as they became victims to decades of 
brutal war perpetuated by these illegal arms flows.
  I am pleased that the President requested, the House passed, and the 
Senate Appropriations Committee has provided, over $44 million for the 
Small Arms and Light Weapons Destruction Program in Fiscal Year 2008. 
This is a significant increase for a much-needed and very successful 
initiative. Indeed, since 2001, this program has helped 25 countries 
destroy over 1 million weapons that might have otherwise have been used 
to create unrest and chaos.
  The fight against global terrorism remains the highest national 
security priority of the United States. The illegal global trade and 
ensuing use of small arms and light weapons clearly destabilizes 
regions that extremists and terrorists can then use as safe havens in 
which to operate. The United States must do all it can to curtail the 
illegal small arms trade world-wide while it works to simultaneously 
eliminate the conditions that breed extremism and instability. The 
Small Arms and Light Weapons Destruction Program is a critical 
component in that fight.

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