As thousands of people fled armed violence in Central Africa, a high level conference met this week to discuss the control of small arms in the region.

The UN Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa met in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The event included representatives of UN peacekeeping and political missions. Topics included the movement of small arms in the region, with a particular focus on problems caused by roadblocks and porous borders.

More than 10,000 people fled their homes in Eastern Congo in the past few days, after dissident leader General Laurent Nkunda attacked communities near the region's capital, Goma, on 3 September. A ceasefire was agreed on 6 September. UN officials said Rwanda had been supplying Nkunda's army with ammunition.

Congolese refugee and IANSA campaigner Charles Nasibu gave the meeting an in-depth analysis on gun trafficking in the region. He urged governments to work together to develop existing conventions and protocols on arms transfers and recognise the importance of civil society in combating arms smuggling.

The Committee, which meets twice a year at the ministerial level, was established by the UN Secretary-General in May 1992. Its membership comprises all 11 countries in the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) - Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and São Tomé and Príncipe.

UN News Centre: UN meeting on security in Central Africa wraps up