ATT WAANSA Urges ECOWAS States To Support

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WAANSA-NIGERIA URGES WEST AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS AND PARLIAMENTARIANS TO PUSH FOR A ?BULLET PROOF? ARMS TRADE TREATY AT THE UN CONFERENCE!

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The West Africa Action Network on Small Arms, Nigeria Chapter (WAANSA-Nigeria) has called on Government and Parliamentarians of West African countries to work together at the United Nations Negotiation Conference to ensure that the Arms Trade Treaty reflects the commitment to reduce the influx of Small Arms and Light Weapons intoAfrica.

 

From 2 to 27 July government representatives, as well as a variety of intergovernmental organisations and civil society groups, will gather at the United Nations (UN) headquarters inNew Yorkto negotiate a Treaty to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. This initiative is widely referred to as the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

 

Briefing News Men during a roundtable with Members of Nigerian Parliament in Abuja, the President of WAANSA-Nigeria Mr. Nkemakonam Dickson ORJIstated that ?the July 2012 UN ATT Negotiation Conference, represents a critical stage in the development of an ATT and the importance of the negotiation towards an effective control of arms transfers should not be under estimated?.

Right-Left: Senator Sani Saleh (Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Member of Defence Comittee), Mr. N Dickson Orji (President WAANSA-Nigeria), Senator Umaru Dahiru (Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights), and a Journalist at the Roundtable.
Right-Left: Senator Sani Saleh (Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Member of Defence Comittee), Mr. N Dickson Orji (President WAANSA-Nigeria), Senator Umaru Dahiru (Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights), and a Journalist at the Roundtable.

According to Mr. Orji, an unregulated arms trade increases the availability of weapons in conflict zones. Arms brokers can exploit these conditions to sell weapons to criminals and insurgents, including those fighting government troops.

 

According to?a recent report?published by Oxfam, more than $2.2 billion worth of arms and ammunition has been imported since 2000 by countries operating under arms embargoes. The figures show the extent to which states have been flagrantly flouting the 26 UN, regional or multilateral arms embargoes in force during this period.

Mr. N Dickson ORJI (President WAANSA-Nigeria)
Mr. N Dickson ORJI (President WAANSA-Nigeria)

Key Issues:

To ensure an effective treaty, Countries of the world under the United Nations must reach agreement on:

 

 

 

 

 

Strong Criteria Explicitly Linked to Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law: The ATT must prevent states from transferring conventional arms in contravention of UN arms embargoes and when it is determined there is a substantial risk the items will be used for serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law.

 

 

 

 

Comprehensive Coverage: The ATT must apply to the broadest range of conventional arms possible–from military aircraft to small arms as well as all types of international trade, transfers, and transactions in conventional weaponry. The ATT should also specifically require that national laws regulate the activities of international arms brokers and other intermediaries.

 

 

Include Ammunition in the Scope of the Treaty: The world is already full of guns. It is the constant flows of ammunition that feeds and prolongs conflicts and armed violence. The exclusion of ammunition from the scope of the treaty would greatly reduce its ability to achieve many of its most important goals.

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?WHY ECOWAS GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT SHOULD TAKE THE ATT NEGOTIATION SERIOUSLY

 

1.???????? Small arms proliferation and conflicts (Boko-Haram saga inNigeria, Tureg insurgence inMaliamongst others) have direct bearing on human lives, peace, security and economic stability ofWest Africa. ECOWAS States must therefore champion and support an international legal regime to curb the menace of arms proliferation which has fuelled, sustained and exacerbated armed conflict in the region.

 

2.???????? The ATT promises to control arms trade as well as substances for Improvised Explosive Devices which incidentally is the primary choice of emerging terrorist groups like Boko-Haram inNigeriain particular, the Turegs inMaliand otherECOWASStates. It becomes imperative forNigeria, ECOWAS and other African countries to be conspicuous in the ATT negotiation process.

Source:?Mr. N. Dickson ORJI

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