Curbing illicit arms proliferation:

CAMYOSFOP advocates greater gov’t engagement

By Rachel NtubeNgwese

Senior government officials including parliamentarians, representatives from other organs and the military have been called upon to hastened procedures related to fostering the halt of illicit circulation of arms within the country and the sub-region in general. This was within the framework of a sensitization workshop organized by CAMYOSFOP and partners in Yaoundé to school senior government officials on the necessity of creating a national commission for the control and management of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in Cameroon.

                According to the organizers, the illicit proliferation of arms in the sub region has been one of the main causes for the instability that has plagued Central African countries recently an example being the terrorist activities of boko-haram.

                To contain this danger, the regional centre on small arms (RECSA) has formulated guidelines for the establishment of the said commission, suggesting mechanisms for the functioning of national institutions responsible for controlling SALW. The document was presented to workshop participants while members of the parliamentary forum were particularly called upon to present the issue before the national assembly for ratification in other to facilitate its materialization.

                To the parliamentarians, the proposal needs first to be studied by the defense and security commission before its presentation to the full house. Meanwhile it is equally said that the president of the republic had instructed the ministry of external relations since 2012 to start procedures for the putting in place of the commission, the question as to where the commission will be hosted still remains a debate. However, according to the defense experts present at the workshop, the structure will be better managed if attached under the services of the presidency of the republic

                 Another bone of contention was over the effective implication of  states in fostering  disarmament in the sub region through the ratification and the efficient application of the 2012 Kinshasa convention and the 2013 arms trade treaty which Cameroon has not yet ratified. The arms trade treaty on its part will regulate a legal flow of arms, a proper identification of both traditional and modern weapons, civilian and military weapons and also enable Cameroon trade in arms. It was however ascertained that, the national commission for the control and management of SALW if successfully instituted in Cameroon will enable an efficient materialization of both the Kinshasa convention and the arms trade treaty