KIGALI - The Rwanda National Police (RNP) has received a fully equiped vehicle-machine to facilitate the marking of firearms in the country.

The vehicle, registeratered No. TCD 308 EAC, provided by the East African Community (EAC) is the latter’s initiative and is well-equiped with the small arms marking equipments.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vianney Nshimiyimana, the National Coordinator for small arms, who received the vehicle from the EAC, handed it over to the Commissioner General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, earlier this week at the force’s headquarters in Kacyiru.

Nshimiyimana noted that the force has put much effort in marking its arms, with 5600 arms marked in September only.  "This vehicle will therefore help in speeding up arms marking exercise in the country.” 

It is estimated that about 500,000 illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) are in circulation in East Africa, a situation the region considers a major threat.

In 2007, Rwanda established a Central Firearms Registry (CFR) to strengthen firearms registration, stock heap management and trace any illicit firearms within the country.

"A number of activities have been undertaken but there is still much to be done due to the challenging nature and history of the problem of illicit SALW in the country and the region,” Gasana observed . "Maintenance of peace, stability and security in the country requires tough defence and internal security mechanism that can control and recover illegal firearms from the community as one important component of the process.”

Available information shows that, although illegal possession of firearms has tremendously reduced, there are still some firearms hidden in villages in all provinces, especially in the Northern and Western provinces. The porous boarders of neighbouring states are yet another challenge, officials say.

Article 34 of the penal code, on the registration and marking of firearms states that, any arm owned or carried by licensed persons shall bear a serial number and other identification marks recorded in the appropriate register of the National Police.

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