ACCORD’s Executive Director, Dr Vasu Gounden presented during the session titled, Curbing the Illicit Inflow and Proliferation of Arms in Africa: Key to Silencing the Guns. Together with fellow panellists Mr Bruce Mokaya Orina from the Red Cross and Ms Brenda Wanjiru a member of Youth for Peace in Kenya, Dr Gounden spoke about the unlawful arms on the continent, the types of arms being trafficked and the criminal use of fire arms. Dr Gounden also touched on the AU Roadmap on Silencing the Guns and the roles that the Peace and Security Council, Member States and the AU Commission need to play in order to stop the illicit flow of arms on the continent and silence the guns. Former presidents Ernest Bai Koroma, Goodluck Jonathan and Catherine Samba-Panza as well as a number of high-level AU officials attended the debate.
The previous high-level debates discussed the various traditional and non-traditional threats to peace and security in various regions across the continent. The threats to peace and security that have been identified include violent extremism and terrorism, transnational organised crime, trafficking of small and light weapons, inter-communal conflicts, climate change and youth unemployment. This year’s debate sought to further elaborate on these threats and discuss ways forward in implementing the Silencing the Guns Initiative in the new decade.
