Cote d’Ivoire to mark weapons for arms control

ABIDJAN. Cote d’Ivoire’s National Commission for Fighting Against Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (COMNAT-ALPC) on Monday said authorities plan to mark all weapons used by security forces for arms control.The COMNAT-ALPC under-secretary, Leon Djokouehi, told reporters in Abidjan that the marking of the weapons will enable authorities to identify all the arms in circulation and their holders to prevent proliferation.“When we decide to mark a weapon, it’s treated as an identity card. We register different indices such as the country of origin and the series of the weapon. In that case, we are able to determine in which unit the weapon can be utilized,” he explained.He said the marking process had begun with the legal weapons being used by armed forces, adding that the practice will proceed to others weapons collected through the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration operation (DDR).“There are sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in case of illegal movement of weapons in the sub-region. Everyone in the sub-region is interested in having stability,” Djokouehi said.The West African country will soon have a national data base of all weapons, according to the official.