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PRESS RELEASE
February 11, 2002
Posted to the web February 11, 2002
Bangui
Prime Minister
Martin Ziguele of the Central African Republic has launched
a national disarmament and arms collection programme, a vital
step towards curbing the threat small arms pose to peace and
security.
General Lamine
Cisse, Representative of the UN Secretary-General, and other
speakers at the recent launch in Bangui, the country's capital,
underscored the importance disarmament for restoring peace
and security to encourage refugees to return home, attract
foreign investment and promote human development. Gen. Cisse
is head of the UN Peace-Building Support Office in the Central
African Republic (BONUCA).
Since 1996, the country has been torn by several army mutinies and attempted
coups, unrest that has driven 80,000 people from their homes. About
1,000 soldiers and 20,000 civilians are still in exile in neighbouring
countries. In the aftermath of these upheavals, several groups and
a number of individuals in and around Bangui still illegally possess
arms. Small arms are also filtering into remote areas as a result
of insurrections in neighbouring countries.
"Disarmament
and arms collection are part of the political, psychological
and cultural changes required for peace building and conflict
resolution," said Kingsley O. Amaning, officer-in-charge
of the UNDP country office. Under the programme, a public awareness
campaign, organized by local disarmament committees established
in all the communes of Bangui and all districts in the country,
will encourage people to turn in weapons voluntarily. The committees
include representatives of local authorities, religious groups,
civil society groups, political parties and security forces.
In contrast with
previous disarmament initiatives, the programme will not only
collect weapons, but also offer support for creating jobs for
those turning them in.These activities will be carried out
in close collaboration with the national poverty reduction
programme supported by UNDP.
The first phase
of the initiative aims to collect of 4,000 small arms and provide
vocational training and facilitate employment opportunities
for 400 people who turn in weapons. If this is successful,
a second phase is slated to collect 6,000 weapons and help
600 people find jobs.
UNDP is providing
US$830,000 for the first phase of the programme; Canada, $300,000;
Germany, $370,000; and Norway, $300,000.
For further information,
please contact Pascal Karorero, UNDP Central African Republic,
or Nicholas Gouede, UNDP Communications Office.
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