Kenya hosts meeting on arms proliferation in Africa

Africa is currently hosting more than 100 million illegal firearms, according to UN findings quoted by panafrican news agency "PANA."

The findings were disclosed at a four-day conference on the proliferation of small arms, which opened in Nairobi Sunday.

Most of arms are in the Great Lakes region and in the horn of Africa- the two most politically volatile regions in Africa.

Kenya's foreign minister, Bonaya Godana, said conflicts in the two regions have led to the massive influx of weapons into other countries.

"These arms filter far beyond armies and police forces to irresponsible groups, criminal organizations, private security forces, vigilance squads and individual citizens," he told the meeting.

He added that the excessive and destabilizing accumulation and transfer of small arms and light weapons have resulted in increased cases of internal conflicts, high level of crime, violence and instability.

He noted that manufacturers, suppliers and buyers of the weapons in the on-going armed conflicts rarely disclose the ultimate user of the arms, which keep changing hands among societies exposed to intra-state violence.

Godana said that the proliferation of such arms, under conditions of poverty, widespread unemployment and social inequity, did not augur well for the maintenance of peace and security on the continent.

"The resultant destruction of property and immense loss of life especially of women and children have become intolerable," he lamented, adding that 300,000 children under 16 years were exploited as participants in armed conflicts.

He suggested to promote collaboration between countries, multilateral institutions and non-governmental organizations.