Africa urged to fight illegal weapons

African countries have been called upon to cooperate in the fight against illegal fire arms trade and possession.The call was made, yesterday, at the closure of a two-day regional conference on illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Kigali. The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Stanley Nsabimana, cited various measures the government had put in place to counter illegal trade or possession of fire arms.“The population, through community policing, is in touch with authorities and police, not only about arms possession, but any other act that may be against the law,” Nsabimana said.The conference 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 of the ICRC, warned that due to conflicts in some countries, illegal inflow of weapons might increase.“The conflicts that have been witnessed in Libya, Mali, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and Southern Sudan, to name but a few, can have a negative impact to neighbouring countries in terms of illegal trade in arms,” said Villettaz.Referring to the East African Community, Villettaz said, compared to other regions on the continent, the bloc has not been affected much by the trade, but warned it was high time it strengthened measures against it. “In respect to the promotion of international law and humanitarian diplomacy, it is a mandate that respective governments protect the population against conflicts,” he said.Nsabimana that based on the measures in place, the country is free from the trade but noted that it remains a threat since it is rife in neighbouring countries.

National

Africa urged to fight illegal weapons