By Nche Jude Mbah in Yaounde
 |
| Movement of Arms must be controlled |
There has been a major uproar on reasons
why Cameroon would get engaged on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) since its
adoption but would not ratify and impliment it. The Cameroon Youths and
Students Forum for Peace (CAMYOSFOP) that has been the major player and leading
civil society organization in Cameroon on the question of arms trade since 2001
has been sensitizing the public and most especially advocating the government
to implement the treaty.
For
the sake of providing some answers to the aforementioned, some journalists from
different news organs in Yaounde and Douala have gain skills and knowledge on
reporting issues about the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) that was adopted by the
United Nations on the 2nd of April, 2013. They familiarized themselves with the
concepts and how to report on that during a two-day capacity building workshop
in Mbalmayo, near Yaounde.
CAMYOSFOP
had taken keen interest just after 2001 when the UN launched an action plan to
prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
in all aspects (PoA). The organization has also been mobilizing, sensitizing
and advocating the adoption and ratification of the Kinshasa Convention in
Central Africa for the control of SALW, their ammunition and all parts and
components that can be used for their manufacture, repair and assembly.
The
newsmen were told that, CAMYOSFOP became involved in the ATT process in 2005,
just four years after its creation. The Executive Director,
NgalimEugineNyuydine, joined the Control Arms Steering Committee on developing
the global principles of the ATT.
CAMYOSFOP
later took the lead in mobilizing the public and advocating the government of
Cameroon towards the adoption and signing of the treaty. In order for these
efforts to be sustain, in 2016 CAMYOSFOP and the Regional Centre on Small Arms
for the Great Lake and Horn of Africa (RECSA) organized a series of advocacy
workshops with Members of Parliament, senior government officials and the civil
society not to move the government towards the ratification of the ATT but also
to create a notional commission for the management and control of arms in
Cameroon.
Couple
with the series of presentations at the two days workshop, Colonel Jacque
Didier, one of leading coordinators at the workshop, expounded on the Genesis,
ratification and implementation process of the ATT. The Colonel said that
Cameroon had benefitted from international treaties signed with foreign bodies
to assist them with arms so it could help them fight at battle fronts. He
added, the ATT Cameroon is neglecting ratifying would indeed help in solving
related cases to human rights violations. He upholds that the ATT is the first
global instrument in the transfer of arms to the government and civilians.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of
CAMYOSFOP, NgalimEugine in his presentation on key articles from the ATT said
the treaty was negotiated for over a decade and adopted by 2 April 2013 by 154
votes to three abstentions and that the treaty for pursuant of article 21 in
signing was ratified.
A
representative from the Ministry of external relations in his own presentation
bothered to give reasons why the ATT signed by Cameroon had not been ratified.
He argued that first and famous Cameroon was not the only country not to have
ratified the ATT; for example, he said China, America, France and other bigger
nations had not ratified. He continued that as of now, his Ministry, the Prime
Minister’s office with other sectors were presently working on that.
Motions
from elsewhere has supported for the government, parliament and the civil
society to fully bring them on board for this to be effective even
domestically. It’s on this basis CAMYOSFOP brought journalist together to be
drilled so they go report the in-depth of the ATT. Civilians have been advised
to shun from providing arm toys to children that will cause harm to the
community.
No comments:
Post a Comment