IANSA Update 15 February 2008

US: 4 campus shootings in one week
DRC: Warlord arrested, sent to International Criminal Court
East Timor: President Jose Ramos-Horta shot
Horn of Africa: Protocol against cattle rustling
Anti cluster munitions treaty talks
Other news: Other news: Colombia seminar, OAS Firearms Convention meeting; jobs at ISS and Landmine Survivors Network; WN bulletin online.

US: 4 campus shootings in one week

The US has had four campus shootings in one week, the most recent being at Northern Illinois University on 14 February. An NIU graduate shot 21 people, killing 5, before shooting himself. The shooter used three handguns and a shotgun; two of these weapons were purchased a few days earlier. IANSA members in the US express sympathy with the survivors, and urge the government to strengthen the gun laws. Read more here.

DRC: Warlord arrested, sent to International Criminal Court

IANSA members in Central Africa are celebrating the arrest of a former warlord from the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui, the former leader of the militia group the National Integrationist Front, was arrested by the DRC authorities in Kinshasa on 6 February and transferred immediately to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He faces charges of war crimes, murder, sexual slavery and using child soldiers. Victor Amissi Sulubika of Vision Gram International noted that Ngudjolo's arrest was especially timely, coming just before the International Day to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers on 12 February. He said, 'This arrest encourages us in our fight against impunity for atrocities committed in our region.' Read more here.

East Timor: President Jose Ramos-Horta shot
East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta is recovering in hospital after being shot in a rebel attack on his home on 11 February. Jose is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and longtime friend of IANSA. We hope for his speedy recovery. Read more here.

Horn of Africa: Protocol against cattle rustling
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) has established a program in Nairobi to help Eastern African states implement the 'Mifugo' Protocol, a regional agreement signed in August 2007 to reduce cattle rustling in the region. Cattle rustling is an important factor in the demand for guns in Eastern Africa, according to ISS and other experts. Read more here.

Anti cluster munitions treaty talks
The last round of discussions on a future treaty to ban cluster munitions take place from 18 February in Wellington, New Zealand. Over 100 governments will attend. Campaigners are calling on all states to support the strongest and most comprehensive treaty possible. Read more here.

Other news

• Colombia is hosting a regional seminar on disarmament and gun control next week. The seminar was organised by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and IEPADES, an IANSA member group in Guatemala.
• IANSA director Rebecca Peters will address the Second Conference of States Parties to CIFTA, the Firearms Convention of the Organisation of American States (OAS). The conference takes place in Mexico from 20 February.
• The Landmine Survivors Network is seeking an Africa Regional Coordinator, to be based in Johannesburg. More information here.
• The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is seeking staff for its Nairobi-based Environmental Crime Programme, including a Programme Head, a Senior Researcher and Programme Administrator. IANSA Job Board.
• The IANSA Women's Network Bulletin 13 (January 2008) is now available in English, French and Spanish on the IANSA website.
  

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