EU to Spend €3.3 Million in Curbing Trafficking of Small Arms in Africa

Smuggled Guns ready to be set ablaze by Kenyan Security officer

Nairobi,Kenya 1st March,2010 – The European Union is funding a pilot project on the fight against illicit accumulation and trafficking of firearms in Africa to the tune of 344 million shillings(3.3 million Euros).The funds will be channelled through the Nairobi-based Regional Center on Small Arms in Great Lakes Region and  the Horn of Africa. European Commission representative Daniela Dicorrado-Andreoni said the project, would be the first Pan African action against the illicit trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons. While  address delegates drawn from the region during the official opening of a two days seminar  organized  by Regional Center on Small Arms (RECSA) on   the capacity of national law enforcement agencies and of the African Regional Police Chiefs Organizations (RPCOs) to work together to fight and help reduce reduction of smuggling of small arms.

The commissioner further added, that Proliferation of Illicit Small Arms and Light weapons has greatly affected security in the African region, making it difficult to maintain peace. RECSA Executive Secretary Dr. Francis Sang said the project would support Africa- EU strategic partnership in the fight against illicit accumulation and trafficking of fire arms and explosive materials. which have been blamed on porous borders and lapses by security official who are entitled to prevent their smuggling into Africa  and increase insecurity. “Africa is often the dumping ground for such weapons from manufacturing countries and plays host to the great number of armed conflicts,” he added.

RECSA which has its secretariat in Nairobi will be responsible in coordinating the project with the help of other regional blocks like ECOWAS,EAC, COMESA, IGAD and SADC. According to  the 2004 Geneva Small Arms Survey, there were 30 million small arms and light weapons in circulation in Sub -Saharan Africa. The survey also indicated that approximately  three million people are killed in a year in the region using the small arms although the figure could be much higher this time round. Regional  efforts to bring to an end to smuggling of small arms will  be a milestone in the region which continue to suffer from internal civil wars and cross border attacks by pastoralist  communities who escalates proliferation of illicit guns in some region.

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