ICRC works to ratify African small arms convention
10 November 2009
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
has been involved in ratifying humanitarian and munitions laws in
west Africa.
According to the charity, its legal experts worked with
officials from 15 nations of the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) to ensure its convention on small arms and light
weapons is part of each state's domestic legislation.
Millions of light weapons are in circulation in west Africa, the
organisation reports, causing a barrier to the enforcement of
international humanitarian law.
The ICRC's Jacques Villetaz said in the meeting in Abuja,
Nigeria: "[This home-grown treaty] shows that the region is seeking
to prevent conflict by limiting the widespread availability of
small arms and light weapons and curtailing their misuse."
The ECOWAS convention on small arms and light weapons has so far
been ratified by Burkina Faso, Benin, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria,
Senegal, Togo, Sierra Leone and Mali.
According to its website, the ICRC's initial African budget for
2009 stands at 400 million CHF (£238 million).
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