The East African Community deputy secretary general (Political Federation), Dr Julius Tangus Rotich, says arms trafficking is potent threat to stability, security and development.
The EAC wants an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) in order to address the problems associated with unregulated transfer of conventional arms.
“A robust ATT, if fully implemented, would reduce the incentive to accumulate arms and hence reduce spending on arms and spur economic development,” he said in an address to the United Nations headquarters in New York last week.
He said the regional bloc was keen to have a treaty that would address problems associated with unregulated transfer of conventional arms ” in all its manifestations”, he said in a statement sent to The Citizen.
According to him, the matter has been discussed thoroughly by experts from the EAC partner states; Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda in the past years and should now be put into practice.
He added that the region has experienced and continues to experience the devastating consequences of unregulated arms transfer, a situation which has facilitated displacement of populations, human rights abuses and destabilisation of legitimate governments.
Whereas the region was not producing arms, it remained awash with them, he said.
The nexus between easy availability of arms, terrorism and piracy continues to manifest itself in the region and remains of primary concern for regional peace and security.
“The inextricable link between unregulated arms transfer, human rights and humanitarian issues should thus be at the core of the treaty’s objectives, drawing from our regional experience,” Dr Rotich explained.
He underscored the need for the proposed ATT which includes all arms in the UN Conventional Arms Register along with Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and ammunitions as well as accommodate all aspects of transfer
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