Border in Name Only: Arms Trafficking and Armed Groups at the DRC-Sudan Border (HSBA Working Paper 4)

Small arms trafficking across the western half of the border between Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has remained largely unexamined. The legacy of armed conflict in both countries, the presence of armed groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on both sides of the border, and poor border control would suggest the possibility of a robust trade in small arms. Border in Name Only: Arms Trafficking and Armed Groups at the DRC-Sudan Border finds that the trade is in fact modest, and overwhelmingly in one direction, from Sudan to DRC. Evidence reported here suggests that South Sudanese communities remain saturated with small arms, while, in northern DRC, rigorous civilian disarmament efforts by the army and a lack of perceived need for arms among civilians have kept demand low. These findings help illuminate the importance of demand factors in driving small arms acquisition in a highly insecure region.

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