In a landmark decision, the South African High Court has ordered the national arms regulator, the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), to suspend and review all existing permits for weapons sales to Myanmar and other governments suspected of human rights abuses.
The ruling comes after a 2022 application by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and Lawyers for Human Rights.
The court order not only cancels permits already granted for Myanmar but also requires the NCACC to re-evaluate any existing permits for arms exports to governments established through coups or accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, or genocide.
“This decision is a critical step towards a more responsible and accountable arms trade in South Africa,” said Atilla Kisla of the SALC.
The move follows South Africa’s suspension of arms exports to Myanmar in 2021, following the military coup that ousted the democratically elected government.
Prior to the suspension, South Africa exported over R215.7 million (approximately $11.9 million) worth of arms to Myanmar between 2 017 and 2021.
The court’s decision comes amidst international scrutiny of Myanmar’s military for its brutal crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim population in 2016 and 2017.
This persecution forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee as refugees to neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations is currently investigating these actions as potential genocide.
