ECOWAS moves to tackle proliferation of small arms

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Monday said it remained committed to assisting member states in preventing further diversions, theft and leakages of small arms.

A representative of the commission, Ahoba Joseph made the commitment during the inauguration of the multi-national small arms and ammunition group course at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre in Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna state.

The physical security and stockpile management competence seminar is a collaboration between ECOWAS and the German government through the multi-national small arms and ammunitions group.

Joseph said that in the next five years, the intervention planned by ECOWAS will deliver to the region a pool of instructors and senior instructors, adding that “the commission stands ready to accompany its member states in strengthening the physical security and safety of amouries of their security forces, so that issues of leakages and diversion or theft are abated.”

According to him, the ECOWAS will continue to demonstrate strong commitment towards addressing threats to peace, security and stability in the region.

“In this regard, our legal frameworks are being promoted thereby providing member states with responses in dealing with current as well as emerging security challenges,” he explained.

Moreover, he stated that the peace and security architecture of ECOWAS is anchored on five pillars of protocol relating to the mechanism for conflict prevention, resolution, management, peacekeeping and security; the supplementary protocol on good governance and democracy, and the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Responding, Commandant of the Peacekeeping Centre, Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Tarfa expressed the willingness of the centre to offer assistance necessary for collaboration between ECOWAS and the German government in physical security and stockpile management competence.

Maj. Gen. Tarfa explained that the course could not have come at a better time than now when the region is confronted with proliferation of small arms, which makes it necessary to build capacity required in dealing with the prevailing security challenges.

He noted that the security challenges were being exacerbated by smuggling of illegal arms and ammunitions into and across the region and urged the participants to apply professionalism in the course of the training.