By World BEYOND War, June 14, 2024
Experts working on the issue of arms were invited to reflect on the best ways to put an end to small arms and light weapons, focusing on the overarching question: “Isn’t our world better off without small arms and light weapons?”
Since 2003, each year, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), a global coalition of civil society organizations working to abolish Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), organizes a Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence. This year, the theme is: “A World without Gun Violence: Turning Words into Actions.” In Cameroon, actions are piloted by the Cameroon Action Network on Small Arms (CANSA), a civil society coalition created in 2004.
The Cameroon chapter of World BEYOND War (WBW) is part of this network, calling for a world without guns, as World BEYOND War‘s work includes nonviolent activism that moves the world in the direction of ending all war. In line with this vision, the Cameroon chapter of WBW is actively campaigning alongside other organizations, especially since in Central Africa, about 10,000 of small arms and light weapons are in circulation. In Cameroon, the proliferation of these weapons is on the rise as a result of the armed conflicts in the North West and South West regions, the Boko Haram incursions in the Far North and the civil war in Central Africa. We are convinced that we can only be safe if weapons are eradicated.
During the week of action, a number of activities are being organized to raise awareness on the consequences of the illicit proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in Cameroon. This one-and-a-half-hour webinar, scheduled for June 14, 2024 at 3pm GMT, a week after the “Week of Action”, retraces these actions and provides further reflection. It features experts working on the issue of arms, invited to reflect on the best ways to put an end to these weapons, focusing on the overarching question: “Isn’t our world better off without small arms and light weapons?”
