| Kampala (Fides Service)- To find ways to stop the spread of light arms in Sub-Saharan Africa defence Ministers and chiefs of security from 39 different countries of Africa are meeting in the Ugandan capital Kampala. The five day meeting is organised by the Washington based NGO Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Besides African representatives, experts from the United States and several European countries are also attending the meeting.
In the opening speech the president of Uganda Yoweri Museveni said the violence committed with light arms had helped considerably to increase poverty in Africa. “There is a close connection between the diffusion of these arms and poverty” the President said. The American Ambassador in a Kampala, said “light arms are responsible for mass destruction in Africa”.
Recently Fides produced a dossier on light arms in Africa (see link below), which reveals how organised crime plays a major role in spreading of light arms in Africa.
A survey by the Community of the Sahel Sahara countries made public at the end of September in Cotonou (Benin), showed that “light arms were used to kill five million people in 1994 in Africa. Moreover 90% of the victims were civilians and of these 80% were women and little girls”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2004 righe 37 parole 240)
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