VICE-President Dr. Mohammed Gharib Bilal will today be among the state dignitaries who have been invited to witness the destruction of illicit small arms and light weapons scheduled to take place at Ukonga Prison grounds in Ilala district about 15 kilometers away from the city of Dar es Salaam. The activity to be organized by a joint sectoral council of the East Africa Community (EAC) responsible for defense, interstate and foreign policy coordination will be preceded by the signing of the peace and security protocol of the five member states. The EAC Deputy Secretary General in-charge of political federation Dr. Julius Rotich said recently in Dar es Salaam that, the destruction of small arms and light weapons is a joint collective initiative which takes place in each of five member states at different times with the aim of eradicating illegal possession of fire arms intending to threat peace within the regional bloc. He told a press conference that, the exercise is in compliance of Nairobi protocol which was signed in 2003 by member states in line of integration arrangement and partnership and that the process is continuous and done in rotational basis for the benefit of the EAC members.
Tanzania's Vice-President Dr. Mohammed Gharib Bilal
Elaborating on the signing of the protocol Dr. Rotich noted that, this would provide a road map to ensure the effectiveness on the implementation of security matters and their engagement among the five partner states whose objective is to have an overall control of the porous borders through which illegal arms passes through. He said the five partner states had agreed to sign the protocol as an important milestone to coordinate the activities in a bid to ensure peace and stability for the people of the EAC that would ensure peaceful settlements of its people. He said that, this is still a great challenge to EAC integration as it is very difficult to control everything and prevent people as quite a good number of them including traders cannot be trusted to move along with their consignments during the handling of their businesses and other things which they sell to the general public. “We want small arms to be in possession of the constitutionally accepted people of governments of five member states in order to keep security intact” he said adding that, illegal possession of such arms destructs peace and harmony among the people who want to develop into international standards. However, Dr. Rotich further noted that, the occasion will be attended also by Internal Affairs Ministers or their representatives from each of the five member states namely Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi including nearby residents who wish to witness the burning which will take place in an open space.
Firearms destruction is a process of burning illegal firearms.
For the last six years, the exercise has been sponsored by the German government to curb with the illegal possession of firearms, but as from next year has ceased to engage themselves in sponsoring the event, he said adding that, now the five member states would be contributing themselves and by help of European Union. Although the German’s government have pulled out itself, the EAC joint council officials have appreciated their contribution and thanked them for their contributions which he said have enabled the a joint sectoral council in the region to have destroyed about 200,000 fire arms in the region. Elaborating the exercise for Tanzania, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Modest Mwauzi said that, this is the event will be the thirteenth to be held in the country since it officially started in 2003, and added that, in today’s event about 3,200 fire arms are expect ted to be destroyed in an exercise to be conducted in open burning system. ACP Mwauzi who is in charge of small fire arms at Police headquarters told a press conference that, after the burning exercise, the remains of iron would be taken to firearm iron industry in Morogoro for melting which later would be used for other purposes. Elaborating further he said that, the destroyed firearms are those which the police and other security organs in the country managed to impound during their operation. He mentioned other organs such as game wardens for wildlife who move in national parks in search of illegal poachers, firearms illegally entered into the country through illegal sale, those caught in possession with bandits who come across such firearms by help of refugees from neighboring countries of DRC, Burundi and Rwanda. He said once impounded, the government does not formalize them into legality to let them be reused by people who might wish to buy them and given government license. However, he said adding that, the police force in the country collect them and transfer them from all corners in the country to the police headquarter. Members of a joint sectoral council for EAC are in the country since last Sunday for a week long meeting to discuss the possibility of maintaining internal security of the five member states which ends today. According to the Deputy Secretary General in charge of political confederation Dr. Rotich their meeting had been divided into two parts that also enjoined foreign policy coordination. Two main issues had been the main focus of their discussion that included the maintaining of the security in line with the burning of firearms and light weapons and the signing of the protocol on peace and security to be witnessed today.
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