Protocol to fight arms signed

2004-04-21 21:43

Nairobi - Ministers and officials from eleven African countries on Wednesday signed a protocol aimed at reducing the vast numbers of small arms in circulation in their regions.

The countries from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa regions and Seychelles signed the Nairobi Protocol for the Prevention, Control and Reduction of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Kenyan capital and a ministerial declaration on the same issue.

"Now we are on a very important assignment for the sake of humanity and peace in our region," Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka said after the signing ceremony.

"It is a very powerful signal to the world that our region is determined to eliminate small arms and light weapons," Musyoka said.

In a communique released at the end of a two-day conference, the ministers and officials "noted with concern the continued problem of proliferation of small arms and light weapon in the region."

Once ratified, the protocol will oblige signatories - Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, the Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania - to take concrete action, including passing legislation, to back up earlier abstract pledges.

Even in countries without armed conflict, such as Kenya, small arms in the hands of criminals pose a serious threat to security.

Among other measures, the protocol calls on all signatory states to pass laws specifically outlawing the illicit manufacture, trafficking, possession of small arms as well as the falsification of their markings.

In 2001, the United Nations adopted a Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, which gave leeway for countries to explore ways to combat the problem.

- AFP