Rwanda has been elected to the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) following an extra-ordinary ministerial council meeting held in Kigali yesterday.

The government will also appoint the Executive Secretary and director of planning and operations of the RECSA within one month. The two positions are held for a four-year non-renewable term. The new Executive Secretary will take over from Kenya's Dr Francis K.Sang who headed RECSA for 10 years.

In other positions, the post of director of administration was given to Kenya, while the political liaison officer will come from Tanzania. Rwanda's coordinator of small arms and light weapons, ACP Sam Bruce Karemera, told The New Times that the election shows Rwanda's credibility in fighting small arms.

"Rwanda has been appreciated for its fruitful efforts in disarmament. This is an encouragement," he said.

RECSA is an intergovernmental organisation established in June 2005, with a membership of 15 countries and headquarters in Kenya.

Its mission is to coordinate action against Small Arms and Light Weapons proliferation in the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa.