Global arms pact needed to reduce conflict -campaign
Source: Reuters
By Pascal Fletcher DAKAR, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Only a tough international arms trade treaty can stem the flood of weapons into conflict zones like Congo, where rebels blamed for rights abuses use weapons and munitions from across the globe, campaigners said on Monday. Oxfam International, Amnesty International and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) said in a statement that United Nations' arms embargoes against countries in conflict were not enough, and global controls were needed. Later this month, the United Nations is expected to vote on a resolution to start work on an arms trade treaty. This would seek to ban governments from selling weapons where there is a clear risk they would be used to commit gross human rights violations, fuel conflict or undermine development. The resolution was introduced last week and co-sponsored by nearly 80 governments, said the three groups, who have together formed the Control Arms Campaign. They cited the case of Democratic Republic of Congo, where despite a U.N. arms embargo in place since 2003, rebels in the northeast were found to have arms and munitions from Russia, China, Greece, Serbia, South Africa and the United States. "This is just one example of how lax arms controls fuel conflict and suffering worldwide. U.N. arms embargoes are like dams against tidal waves; alone they can't stop weapons flooding in," Oxfam International Director Jeremy Hobbs said. "Only a tough global Arms Trade Treaty could stem the flow of arms to the world's war zones," he added in the statement. ARMING CONGO'S REBELS Research conducted in September 2006 by Control Arms Campaign found that weapons recovered from the rebels in Congo's northeast Ituri district included sniper rifle bullets made by the U.S. Federal Cartridge Company and bullets manufactured by the Pyrkal Greek Powder and Cartridge Company. Also found was an R4 assault rifle manufactured in South Africa, Chinese assault rifles, a Serbian pistol and Russian small arms and grenade launchers. "Rebel groups in the Eastern DRC have an appalling track record of rape, torture and killing of civilians as well as a history of using children as soldiers," Irene Khan, secretary general of Amnesty International, said. "That bullets from so many countries have fuelled these abuses is yet another indication that an arms trade treaty must become a reality," she added. The Campaign said the arms found in Congo's Ituri were probably not sold directly to the rebels, but were likely to have entered from neighbouring countries. It said this underlined the need for an treaty to set global standards for arms sales based on international law. "With 1,000 people dying every day from gun violence, governments can no longer ignore this horror story that repeats itself from Congo to Colombia to Iraq," said Charles Nasibu, a Congolese small arms researcher, activist and member of IANSA, which is an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations. The Control Arms Campaign said its call for a comprehensive arms trade treaty to control the international transfer of weapons and other military equipment was backed by 20 Nobel Peace Laureates, including South Africa's Desmond Tutu.
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