Kennedy L. Yangian — The Liberia Action Network on Small Arms (LANSA),an organization fighting against the proliferation of small arms in the country has launched another campaign in Tubmanburg, Bomi County.

According to the organizers, LANSA’s campaign on small arms control is geared toward conscientizing the people on the danger of small arms and its proliferation in the country.

Catholic prelate and chairperson of the organization, Rev. Fr. Anthony Borwah addressing a cross-section of Bomi citizens at the St. Dominic School Campus recently said that small arms are dangerous to the society. He cautioned the youth who he said were forced to fight during the civil crisis, to see the importance of the campaign because as puts it the proliferation of arms in the society is dangerous.

Fr. Borwah said everyone who was in the country during heat of the war knew the danger of arms. He reminded the citizens of the Mahe River Bank Massacre where children, women and the elderly were reported to have been massacred allegedly by forces loyal to former president Charles Taylor during the civil conflict.

The Catholic prelate said small arms proliferation in the country can be stopped when Liberians are united to worked and prevent the flow. He said working against the spread of small arms is one way to build peace in the country.

The Deputy Director of the National Commission on Disarmament (NCDDRR), Madame Ruth Caesar who proxy for the keynote speaker, Vice President Joseph Boakai, said the Vice President as president of the senate is doing everything in his power for the enactment of the ECOWAS’s convention on small arms.

In her capacity as Deputy Director of the NCDDRR, Madame Caesar said from time to time there has been report of armed robbery and armed related incident which showed that there are still arms around despite the completion of the disarmament process.

For his part, the Parish Priest of the St Dominic Catholic Institution, Fr. Gary Jenkins whose remark brought grief on to the audience said some 325 children died of starvation and buried in mass grave when the ULIMO-J faction occupied Bomi County during the war. He said the root cause of the war was the quest for financial gains.

Also making remarks were representatives of UNMIL, SRSG, OXFAM who called for support for the campaign but stressed that illegal possession of arms were prohibited, and neither the City Major nor the Superintendent was available for remark .

The Liberia Action Network On Small Arms (LANSA) a local NGO in the country is working with 25 international NGOS, including OXFAM to ensure the control of small arms in the country. Its small arm control campaign has been launched in three of the 15 counties, Montserrado, Bong, Grand Bassa now Bomi County.