Civil society supports efforts to curb small arms

Representatives of African civil society and communities meeting in Lome on 7-9 December pledged to help curb the proliferation and trafficking of small arms on the continent. The meeting was organised by the Lome-based UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa in collaboration with NGOs and other institutions. Participants agreed to campaign for tougher national legislations and to team up with African governments “to address in a more holistic manner the many factors sustaining the demand for arms within our continent”. An appeal was also made to the international community to curb the supply of small arms by enacting effective prevention and control measures. Transparency and accountability in all arms transfers were also listed as important factors in curbing the trafficking of small arms in Africa. The NGOs also supported the African Common Position on Small Arms, a plan of action adopted on 1 December at an Organisation for African Unity (OAU) ministerial meeting in Bamako. Meanwhile, a special meeting of civil society groups from West Africa will be held in early 2001 in connection with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) moratorium on light arms that expires on 31 October 2001, Napoleon Abdulai of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament told IRIN.