A two-day national workshop on small arms and light weapons, coordinated by the Ad-hoc Committee of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons under the Department of State for Interior, yesterday, began at the Paradise Suits Hotel.
The workshop is a follow-up to a series of activities geared towards the control of the spread of small arms and light weapons within communities.

During the course of the two-day sessions, participants will be exposed to good governance, rule of law and transparency, the provisions of the Ecowas Convention on SALW, the role of civil society in the fight against SALW, and the effects of armed violence on national development, amongst others.

Declaring the workshop open, Ousman Sonko, Secretary of State for the Interior, on behalf of Vice President Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, said the workshop is organised within the framework of a sub-regional initiative spearheaded by ECOSAP to regulate and control the proliferation of small arms and light weapon in the West African sub-region.  He added that under this sub-regional initiative, The Gambia will benefit from a US$60,000 project, under which a series of activities related to small arms and light weapons are programmed.

“This initiative and attendant project are indeed very important and timely, given that the sub-region itself is one of the most volatile regions in the country, and that The Gambia in particular, is situated very close to long standing conflicts in the Cassamance and Guinea Bissau.  The need, therefore, for a national strategy to deal with issues such as the acquisition, use and registration of small arms and light weapons among others need urgent attention,” he said.

SoS Sonko then informed the participants that preparations are at an advanced  stage to ratify the Ecowas Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, and the setting up of a national commission on small arms and light weapons in conformity with the directives of the Ecowas Heads of State and governments.

He then expressed confidence that the inclusion and involvement of The Gambia Revenue Authority and Customs, Immigration, Police and the National Intelligence in the committee will ease the work involved in dealing with issues of movement of weapons in unauthorised hands.

Jonathan Sandy, Programme Manager, Ecowas Small Arms Programme (ECOSAP), described the workshop as timely sating that this is the time when most West Africa ns are addressing the socio-economic and political problems that have over-whelmed the region as a result of armed violence, civil unrest, political strive, amongst other things in the last decade.

According to him, it is globally acknowledged that unchecked arms greatly militate against the political stability of the sub-region,  and the survey process is expected to also identify the challenges associated with stockpile management. 

“Legislative instruments in place against small arms proliferation and the challenges against its implementation in The Gambia, as well as socio-economic impact of armed violence shall also be revealed during the process,” he said.

Sandy added that the survey is not the end, but a means to an end, noting that the main goal of the survey is to form a basis for the development of a comprehensive National Action Plan on SALWS, which is the next stage after the survey. 

Other speakers at the ceremony included Yaya Sireh Bah, Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Interior and Rtd Captain Joseph Jassey, Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Defence.