The Rwandan government in respect to the international treaty on the dangers of small arms and ammunition, on Thursday at Gabiro Military Training School in Eastern province destroyed over 100 tons of light weapons.

The function, attended by the Rwandan minister of Internal Security Musa Fazil Harerimana, also attracted various security officers from both the military and police. Also present where, the regional representative of the Regional Centre on Small Ammunition, Tharcisse Midonzi and Leonard Onyonyi, the coordinator of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the East African Community.

Minister Harerimana, who presided over the function said the action to destroy the light weapons and ammunition is meant to free the world especially children from the serious dangers of unexploded ordnance and fire arms.

“This is a demonstration and clear manifestation of the Rwanda government that it is responsible and committed to creating a free world from the destructive nature of these dangerous weapons,” Haririmana said. He added that the ammunition included those retrieved from different parts of the country and the expired ones from military and police stores.

He called for peaceful resolutions of several armed conflicts in the region and continent to reduce the abundance of small arms and deaths of innocent civilians.

Onyonyi called for proper management of small arms and ammunition in the East African region and said: “Small arms are a serious challenge and a threat to many lives of innocent people and we must join efforts to destroy and control them.”

According to the United Nations program of action; the Nairobi and Bamako protocols, member states are responsible for collecting and destroying expired ammunition and unexploded ordinances.

Since 2006 according to statistics from the Rwanda National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons, over 8000 pieces of small arms and unexploded ordinance have been destroyed.

Source African Press Agency

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