5 June 2008
Windhoek — CIVIL society in Namibia will today hand over a global petition of 110 000 signatures, which demands an immediate Southern African Development Community (SADC) moratorium on weapons transfers to Zimbabwe.
The petition will be presented by representatives of the Legal Assistance Centre, the National Society for Human Rights, Breaking the Wall of Silence, International Action Network on Small Arms (Iansa) and Gun Free Namibia at 13h30.
The groups will meet at Windhoek's Zoo Park at 12h15 before moving on to the Parliament Buildings.
The action will be part of a regional move by rights groups.
"The people who signed the petition come from all walks of life and all regions of the world, including Africa.
They opposed the delivery of the Chinese arms aboard the An Yue Jiang ship to Zimbabwe in April.
Now they want a moratorium to prevent future military and security equipment transfers by sea, air or land which could be used to violate human rights in Zimbabwe," a statement by LAC said yesterday.
The handover of the petition will be witnessed by trade unionists, religious leaders and other members of society.
Iansa has already congratulated Namibia on helping to prevent the An Yue Jiang from delivering its lethal cargo from China to Zimbabwe.
"But state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe is escalating and armed men are ordering the militia and youth gangs to brutally attack civilians.
A SADC arms moratorium will show that Southern Africa will not tolerate irresponsible arms transfers," Iansa Africa Coordinator Joseph Dube said.
China has been the main arms supplier to Zimbabwe in the past few years.
South Africa and Brazil have also supplied arms and ammunition, while Israel has supplied riot control equipment.
Mozambique and South Africa have also had a policy to allow the transit of arms to Zimbabwe.
The LAC says SADC states have an obligation to avoid aiding another state to commit serious violations of human rights.
The SADC Firearms Protocol obliges members "to prevent, combat, and eradicate the illicit manufacturing of, excessive and destabilising use and accumulation of, trafficking in, possession and use of, firearms, ammunition and other related materials."
The delivery of the petition is a highlight of the IANSA Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, during which over 70 countries are raising awareness about the urgent need for stricter controls on transfers of small arms.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Namibian. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
