Africa urged to cooperate to fight illegal possession of Light Weapons

A two-day regional conference on illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), underway in Kigali, yesterday highlighted the need for African countries to cooperate in the fight against illegal fire arms trade.

Friday, May 04, 2012

A two-day regional conference on illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), underway in Kigali, yesterday highlighted the need for African countries to cooperate in the fight against illegal fire arms trade.The Deputy Director General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, said the government has put in place various measures to counter illegal trade or possession of fire arms."Among others, the police through community policing in collaboration with other local authorities, the population is in touch with authorities for information not only about arms possession, but any act that is against the law,” Nsabimana said.It was organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.It attracted experts within and outside the region, including representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).Jaky L. Villettaz, the Head of Delegation at the ICRC, warned that due to the conflicts in some countries, illegal inflow of weapons or arms might increase.