The Regional Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA) was established in June 2005 to oversee the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons which was signed on 21st April 2004.

Guns Know No Borders

The illegal accumulation and misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), fuels violent crime, sustains conflict, abets terrorism, cattle rustling, poaching and other serious crimes which degrade the environment and delay development; with Africa being the most affected.

Gravely concerned by the proliferation of illicit arms, as stated in the Nairobi Declaration (2000); regional states agreed on a comprehensive cooperative response strategy; leading to the signing of the Nairobi Protocol (2004).

The Nairobi Protocol complements regional and international instruments on Small Arms Control including the United Nations Programme of Action (UNPoA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SGD 16).

RECSA Membership:

Republic of Burundi, Re-public of Djibouti, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, State of Eritrea, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of South Sudan, Federal Republic of Somalia, and Republic of the Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania and Republic of Uganda.