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Spread Of Light Weapons Threaten Peace

Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
NEWS
September 9, 2003
Posted to the web September 9, 2003

By Esther Azaa

The UN organises a seminar to train officials to combat illicit trade in small
arms in the Central African Sub Region.
For some years now, the international community has been witnessing a strong
momentum worldwide for the fight against the illicit proliferation of small
arms and light weapons. According to UN reports, the misuse of these weapons
play a major role in the increase in crime, escalating armed conflicts and
disrupting socio-economic development programmes of many nations.
On the African continent, member countries of the Economic Community For
Central African States (ECCAS) have resolved to present a balance sheet of the
state of affairs in their respective countries, at the Yaounde sub-regional
seminar that kicked off yesterday. Holding under the auspices of the Ministry
of External Relation, the five-day workshop sets out to build and improve the
capacity of a multinational group trainers in the Central African sub-region.
They will in turn, raise public awareness on the dangers of light weapons.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of State for External Relations,
Francois-Xavier Ngoubeyou, lauded the United Nations' initiative to train
officials of the Forces of Law and Order to control the proliferation of light
weapons. He also thanked the organisers for brainstorming on strategies to
combat and eradicate the use of small arms in the sub-region.
Coming all the way from New York, the Director and Deputy to the Secretary
General Department for Disarmament Affairs, Hannelore Hope, thanked the
Cameroon government for its "continuous support and commitment to the
realisation of practical disarmament and durable security in Central Africa".
She said, the United Nations has resolved to foster the implementation of its
plan of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade of small arms
and light weapons in all its aspects. "The present training workshop is a step
forward," she said, expressing the wish to see lower and mid-career military
and security personnel who deal with small arms in their day-to-day work make
use of the knowledge acquired during the workshop.
Later in the day, Hannelore Hope was received in audience by the Minister of
State for External Relations, in the presence of the Resident Co-ordinator of
the United Nations system to Cameroon, Patricia De Mowbray.
The seminar is second of its kind organised by the United Nations Regional
Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa as part of its regional programme
for capacity building. The first workshop was launched in Nairobi in 2001 for
the eleven member State who turned out at the Yaounde symposium.
Participants at the workshop are from the Economic Community of Central Africa
States (ECCAS), the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) based in Pretoria,
South Africa, the Africa Strategic and Peace Research Group (AFSTRAG), and the
International Relations Institute of Cameroon (IRIC).

   

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