Crack down on illegal arms for peace, security, governments urged

Governments have been urged to monitor and control usage of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) that are under their control to combat insecurity.

A meeting that brought together Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) Member States heard that armed conflicts and violent deaths are on the rise in countries within Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region, stemming from rampant proliferation of illegal arms and weapons.

The meeting convened in Nairobi was alarmed by the scale of trafficking illicit arms and light weapons across the region.

RECSA secretariat said the insecurity challenges posed by the trade in illicit ammunition also exacerbate intercommunal conflict and undermining political stability and public safety, all with devastating consequences for people and communities in both rural and urban areas.

RECSA, formed in 2005 comprise of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Central African Republic.

Other members are Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

To contain the abuse of the arms, the three day conference that ended on Friday, through a report adopted at the meeting, advised governments to step up marking of their arms stockpiles to reduce weapons in the wrong hands.

"Small arms and light weapons (SALW) are the second most prevalent cause of civilian deaths during conflicts, with even more lives lost to them in non-conflict settings" Jean Pierre Betindji, RECSA Executive Secretary to the 15th Technical Advisory Committee Meeting.

The forum which brought together Chiefs of Police, Principal Secretaries from Ministries of Interior of RECSA member states observed that misuse of firearms is disrupting regional economic and social development of the countries.

Betindji added: "The illicit transfer, proliferation, and misuse of SALW not only fuel and sustain violence but also have profound consequences for human rights, humanitarian crises, and socio-economic development."

Mr. Betindji challenged the states to change tacts in dealing with illicit firearms, saying the response to combat violence has majorly focused on security measures, overshadowing prevention-oriented approaches as highlighted by the adopted new Harmonised Reporting Tool for SALW control.

Interior PS Raymond Omollo said Kenya has made significant strides in fight against illicit weapons.

This even as it emerged that the military is yet to mark 30 per cent of their stockpile ammunition while the National Police Service still two per cent off the target ok marking of the firearms since the last destruction exercise in 2021.

"Kenya is nearing completion of its ambitious marking of firearms and ammunition. The National Police Service (NPS) has already marked 98 percent of its firearms stock while the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is at 70 percent,” Omollo said.

Within the same period, the National Focal Point Coordinators and RECSA delagates were informed that 2,400 illicit firearms and weapons have been collected.

And regionally, Omollo disclosed that over 300,000 illicit firearms across member states have been destroyed since establishment of RECSA.

According to PS Omollo who is also the chair of TAC, the meeting deliberated on promotion of uniform legislative frameworks/policies to combat proliferation of small arms and as well raise awareness on the risks associated with SALW while advocating for disarmament efforts.

At the same time, the resolved to ensure implementation of the Nairobi Protocol formed a crucial part of the meeting.

The Nairobi Protocol is a global agreement formed in 2004 aimed at combatting the illicit manufacturing, trafficking, possession and use of SALW in Grate Lakes Region and Horn of Africa.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi urged the RECSA countries to strengthen cooperation and information-sharing and enhance policy hamornisation to empower the secretariat.

"Effective implementation begins with strong, comprehensive national laws that align with the Nairobi Protocol. These laws must provide a framework for arms control and impose penalties on illicit arms trafficking and possession," Mudavadi said.

Similarly, Mudavadi who is also the acting Interior CS, encouraged the States to invest national control mechanisms and stockpile management systems to ensure the responsible and accountable control of state-held small arms.

"I urge the Member States to fulfill their financial obligations. The challenges we face are significant, but our shared resolve to secure peace and stability in this region must be strengthened," urged Mudavadi.