Stakeholders working in various sectors on weapons and ammunition management in the sub-region have converged on Accra for a two-day dialogue on preventive strategies against violent conflicts and extremism.
The stakeholders, made up of 40 representatives of small arms and light weapons (SALW) national commissions, weapons and ammunition management (WAM), and experts from West and Central Africa, are expected to come up with recommendations to align WAM with national and regional prevention strategies, while strengthening partnerships and cross-border coordination mechanisms to address related security threats.
The dialogue, which is being held on the theme, “Strengthening Weapons and Ammunition Management as a Preventive Strategy Against Violent Conflicts and Extremism in the Gulf of Guinea and Beyond”, also seeks to improve the understanding of participants on WAM risks and their role in fuelling violent conflicts in the Gulf of Guinea context.
Topics
Key among the topics being discussed include the nexus between SALW, insecurity and violent extremism, global and regional normative frameworks, community-centred prevention strategies, enhancing cross-border cooperation for prevention, technology, innovation and best practices, among others.
It was jointly organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Opening the dialogue in Accra on Wednesday, Feb 4, the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi, said that as of 2019, approximately 40 million small arms were in circulation across Africa.
The situation, he said, continued to foster armed violence, crime, and instability, undermining governance and impeding development.
The deputy minister underscored the need for a framework that accounts for both civilian and state-held arms.
He also called for political leadership across the continent to engage in arms control, stating that no single state could tackle this issue alone.
“Illicit arms frequently find their way into localised conflicts, threatening safety and stability in border regions,” he said.
He urged participants to adopt an integrated approach for synchronising policies targeting both weapons and ammunition.
Concern
The African Union (AU) High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, expressed concern over persistent gaps in arms control, which continue to exacerbate issues such as insurgency, piracy, and communal conflict.
He also stressed the need for enhanced technical capacities in weapons control, while calling for a coherent, integrated approach to arms management through the involvement of community leaders, women and youth as change agents in the movement against arms proliferation.
For his part, the Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal David A. Akrong, called for an integrated approach to addressing small arms and ammunition, adding, “Treating small arms and ammunition under separate frameworks has created gaps in coordination and enforcement”
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
