THE East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Peter Mathuki has commended the Centre on Small Arms in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa and Bordering States (RECSA) commitment in preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit manufacturing of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region.
Dr Mathuki further reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to enhancing cooperation between the EAC and RESCA, underlining the need for the two institutions to develop a cooperation framework that will guide the joint implementation of activities in the region.
“RESCA plays a very important role in the EAC regional integration agenda, for integration will never work if there are no systems in place to ensure there is peace and security for the people of the region,” observed the EAC boss while hosting RECSA’s executive secretary Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Badreldin Elamin at the weekend.
The RECSA boss on his part hailed the long standing partnership between the EAC and RESCA in the peace and security sector, which he said was a key enabler to the integration process in East Africa.
The Executive Secretary noted the need for collaboration in implementing programmes that address cross-border as well as preand post-election security challenges in the region.
The EAC-RESCA cooperation framework is set to provide for areas of cooperation on matters of peace and security in the region, including initiatives focused on disarming the mindset, ensuring compliance to instruments governing peace and security as well as establishment of information sharing mechanisms that will facilitate rapid and timely response to crossborder threats.
EAC and RESCA partnership has implemented various programmes targeting illicit small arms and light weapons in the past including: a regional standard firearms marking system that can easily identify and trace fire arms; the destruction of small arms and light weapons in post-conflict societies; as well as voluntary civilian disarmament initiatives.
RECSA is an intergovernmental organisation that was established in June 2005 and is mandated to coordinate the implementation of the Nairobi Protocol for the prevention, control and reduction of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa and Bordering States.
It currently comprises 15 Member States including; Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.