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Illicit small arms pose challenge - WAANSA

By Daily Graphic
Tue, 30 Jun 2009 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
General News

The West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) has expressed grave concern over the misuse of arms worldwide.

A statement issued by WAANSA to mark the Global Week of Action which fell from June 15-21, 2009, said armed violence and misuse of illicit small arms and light weapons continued to pose a serious challenge in Ghana.

The week of action is set aside for civil society around the world to undertake activities aimed at calling the attention of governments to take measures to curb the gun menace to enable people and society live in tranquillity.

WAANSA lauded the government of Prof John Evans Atta Mills for the stance it had taken to fight armed violence and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.

According to information gathered by WAANSA, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) disclosed that a thousand people died every day because of guns, and many more were seriously injured.

WAANSA noted that to emphasise the seriousness that West Africa attached to the threat posed by small arms proliferation, a workshop was organised in Lome, Togo, from April 15-16, 2009 for civil society from West, Central and Northern Africa on “Supporting an arms trade treaty”.

It was organised by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and WAANSA. It was followed by a small arms policy forum for ECOWAS Small Arms National Commissions sponsored by the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund and the decision taken was to curb the gun menace facing the world.

“WAANSA once again calls on the Government of Ghana and others in the West African sub-region to speedily ratify the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons to improve gun control,” it said.

It urged the government to assist the UN Secretary-General to gather sufficient views on armed violence and development to share its position in more details on the feasibility parameters and scope of an arms trade treaty with the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group to fast-track the ATT negotiations.

WAANSA collaborates with the ECOWAS National Commission on Small Arms in West Africa, the UNDP, UNREC and Oxfam Britain.
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