The NEWS (Monrovia)
16 April 2008
Monrovia — Residents of Careysburg, Montserrado County, have turned over one Rocket Propel Grenade (RPG) launcher and an explosive to the Center for Peace Education and Democracy (COPE).
The arm was given at the end of a three-day awareness workshop on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Careysburg last week.
A COPE release said the RPG was discovered in a cassava patch in the area. The arm has since been given to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).
Meanwhile, COPE has ended a three-day awareness and education workshop on the danger, abuse, misuse and effects of small arms in Liberia.
The workshop brought together 30 participants including commissioners, city mayors, paramount and clan chiefs, women and youth groups, among others.
The workshop which was held under the theme: "Assessing the Impact of Small Arms on Sustainable Development in Rural Liberia" was part of COPE's fifth year awareness campaign against the proliferation and danger of small arms in Liberia.
Sponsored by the United States based National Endowment for Democracy (NED), COPE Executive Director Robert G. Miller told the participants that the proliferation of small arms was a major factor affecting development in Liberia.
He observed that the uncontrolled use of small arms suffers development.
He added that the proliferation of small arms in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other countries in Africa created negative impact and, if nothing is done to control the misuse of small arms, development will suffer.
He also called for the speedy ratification of the ECOWAS Convention on small arms if Liberia must be a safe place for development.
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