Nairobi (Fredrick Nzwili), 19 June 2009:

The proliferation of small and light weapons in Africa cannot be stemmed through reforms in the security sector alone, religious leaders there have warned.

"The arms are not themselves the problem; rather, they are symptoms of other structural dynamics," said the leaders in a statement at the end of a 16-18 June meeting in Nairobi on the issues of small arms.

The faith leaders cited weak governance, corruption, competition for diminishing resources, decades of continued conflict and wars, and climate change as key factors that need to be tackled.

The conference heard that globally nearly 1000 people are killed each day by small arms and light weapons.

"The many interrelated factors must be addressed. Livelihoods should be the major component seriously paid attention to," said participants drawn from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The conference was held during the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence of the International Action Network on Small Arms. It was hosted by the African Council of Religious Leaders, and organized jointly with the World Conference of Religions for Peace.
 
It’s all about people
"It is all about people. Coming together as religious leaders, we need to see how we can save these people," said Allison Pytlak, coordinator for cluster ammunitions at Religions for Peace.

Joseph Dube, the Africa coordinator of IANSA, had told the gathering that US$4 billion worth of small arms are traded legally, while another US$1billion worth of weapons are traded illegally.
 
"Illegal guns discourage development," said Judy Waruhiu of the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa. "Communities must understand they can live without guns. They must be told poverty and guns will always feed into each other."

Tensions due to global warming
Global warming, the international financial crisis and new information and communication technology are likely to increase tensions and illegal use of the arms, the faith leaders concluded.

"We are going to use our means as religious leaders. We are going to use our pulpits to tell people, 'What you are doing is wrong'," said Sheikh Shaban Mubaje, the grand mufti of Uganda.