| Global Week of Action Against Small Arms 2006 - action in East and Central Africa
Burundi
 Various activities
A series of activities focused on mobilizing populations, parliamentarians, and decision makers were organised by Colonie des Pionniers de Développement in order to campaign efficiently against gun proliferation and misuse:
- 22 May – a debate with journalists from two radio stations: Radio Isanganiro, Radio Publique Africaine on the theme of ‘Control Arms’.
- 23 May – radio spotlights on the theme ‘Control Arms’ which were broadcast three times a day by radio channels such as Radio des Nations Unies and Radio Publique Africaine.
- 24 May – a meeting on small arms circulation in Burundi was organized in partnership with UNDP Burundi, Burundian Human Rights League, Government Officials, and representatives on from the Burundian Human Rights League, ITEKA Burundi and Small Arms Survey.
- 25-26 May – a visit to children and women victim of armed violence in boroughs of Kama and Cibitoke
The reaction of the religious community to the manufacture and sale of illegal small arms was the subject of a programme on a local Christian radio station (Radio IVYIZIGIRO), organised by AJECA on 24 May.
Call-in radio programmes on the problem of small arms were organised by Action Philanthropique and Radio Publique Africaine on two radio programmes on 24 and 25 May: “Oya Nawe Nu” (“We’ve had Enough”) and "Dusigurire" (“Explain it to us”). Seminars were held on the same topic in various schools and churches around Bujumbura throughout the Week of Action.
A coalition of IANSA members in Bujumbura conducted a wide range of awareness-raising activities and handed over the national Million Faces Petition to the government. To find out more about these activities in French, click here
Global Week of Action with AJECA, ALDP, and ECOF
With the intention of raising media and public awareness regarding the threat that small arms proliferation has on the livelihoods of communities, AJECA, ALDP, and ECOF organised several activities during the Global Week of Action.
A radio programme on the “Reaction of a believer on the Proliferation of small and light arms” was organised on May 24, while seminars took place on the May 26-27 encouraging participation by school children and members of church congregations where also organised around this same topic.
Closing ceremony of the Global Week of Action at the
Ecole de la Fraternité (ECOF)
on May 29
Chad
Press conference grabs the attention of the nation’s media
In Chad, the Week of Action was marked with a press conference on 26 May organised by Amnesty International Chad. All of the major media outlets in Chad were present, including TVT (the national television station), RNT (the national radio station), FM LIBERTE (the civil society radio station), DJAFM (a private radio station). Four newspapers were also present, including Le Temps, Ndjamena Bihebdomadaire, Le Progres, and the Agence Tchadienne de Presse.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
 Week of Action is celebrated throughout the country
In the DRC, activities took place all over the country, including in Kinshasa, Uvira, Fizi, and Sud-Kivu. Click here to read more about these activities in French
Week of Activities in Bukavu
IFDP, a Congolese member of the IANSA network organised a series of activities in Bukavu during the Global Week of Action (May 22 to 29) aimed at increasing media and public awareness on the issue of small arms.
The activities included radio programmes to increase awareness among the general public; a Memo to the Transition Parliament to signal the importance of the upcoming UN Review Conference on Small Arms; sharing the experiences of survivors of gun violence in neighbouring towns whilst also collecting images for the 100 faces campaign.
Click here to read more about these activities in French
Kenya:
Various activities
A wide range of activities were undertaken by the Kenya Action Network on Small Arms (KANSA). Click here for more information.
Radio interview
Coro FM radio interviewed Colonel Jan Kamenju of SRIC on 30 June, 08.00 – 09.00. Listeners phoned the station with their questions.
'No to gun violence' campaign
In Kenya billboards have been put up all over the Tana River district, advertising ‘No to gun violence’. The Control Arms team in Kenya ran a workshop on small arms and light weapons in Kitui on the 29th March. Members of the Kenyan Peace Committees who attended will take this information to their villages in Kitui to raise awareness on the issues.
Community campaigning
This includes a sponsored street beautification project, and a community workshop on the misuse of SALW. Preparations for the Week of Action have also begun all over Kenya and the National Delivery of faces has been planned to take place on Monday 29 May!
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)T
The 114th Assembly of the IPU took place from 7 to 12 May in Nairobi. At this meeting a resolution on small arms and light weapons was adopted. Click here to read the resolution. Link to resolution in PDF please.
Rwanda:
Churches and youth groups support Control Arms
Rwandan campaigners organised an event for youth groups and local churches to gather faces for the Million Faces petition.
Government adopts common position with civil society
The government met with civil society on 26 May to devise a common Rwandan position for the UN Small Arms Review Conference. The meeting was held in Kigali and was co-hosted by the Rwandan National Focal Point, SaferRwanda and the Institute for Security Studies. Click here to read the recommendations.
The Rwandan National Focal Point is planning an arms destruction for 9 June.
Somalia:
A range of community-level activities were undertaken by the Green Leaf for democracy (GLED). Click here for more information
Sudan
Media advocacy
In addition to attending meetings with officials regarding the Sudanese commitments to interanational small arms agreemenets, the Human Security Initiative Organisation (HSIO) received media coverage in newspapers during the week. Click here for a report and photo.
Tanzania
Media advocacy
The Centre for Peace and Economic Development (CEPEDE) and the TOTO GROUP were interviewed regularly on Radio Tanzania and Radio One throughout the week. The y were also interviewed on VOA and Radio Tumaini, the latter on 20 May about impact of small arms on children's rights. They also followed up the primary school pupils to whom they had distributed Swahili publication titled “Silaha: Baraka au Balaa?” (Are Firearms a Blessing or a Disgrace?)
During the Week of Action, the Government has announced that firearm owners must obtain new firearms licenses from 1 August 2006.
Uganda
Government destroys small arms
57,000 guns burnt
New Vision, 25 May
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