Ghana hosts High-Level regional meeting on combating firearms trafficking

Ghana has taken a significant step in the fight against illicit firearms trafficking by hosting a 3-day high-level Regional Planning Meeting for Operation KAFO VI in Accra, which aims at dismantling arms networks and enhancing regional security.

Addressing participants, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, said that ‘let this planning meeting not be remembered as another workshop. Let it be remembered as the beginning of a new phase in regional enforcement where we do not merely react to threats, but anticipate, prevent and dismantle them. We must see it through with unity, integrity and urgency.”

He stated that the meeting focuses on coordinating joint efforts to combat firearms trafficking and associated threats throughout the West African Sub-region and that Operation KAFO VI emphasises understanding the threat before it reaches borders and also empowers law enforcement officers with data, training and cooperation mechanisms.

Alhaji Muntaka added that the comprehensive training programme integrated into Operation KAFO VI will provide regional training of trainers, national-level capacity building and standardised tools for operational plans and threat assessments.

The operation also promotes gender balance, encouraging the inclusion of more qualified women in all areas, from planning to operations.

The meeting is expected to assist participating countries in identifying key border points for intervention and developing a united and strategic response to arms trafficking and violent extremism. The operation aims to build trust between national authorities, agencies and partners and to facilitate the sharing of intelligence and best practices.

In his welcome remarks, the Chief of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Ghana, Mr. Christoph Capelle, stated that the Regional Planning Meeting marks another milestone in the fight against illegal arms and crime in West Africa.

He noted that UNODC is providing technical assistance to Ghana because collaboration is essential and no country or agency can combat illicit firearms and crime alone, as the situation has become transnational and complex, requiring a collective effort.

The meeting is expected to bring together representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Diplomatic corps and participants from Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo.

The post Ghana hosts High-Level regional meeting on combating firearms trafficking first appeared on 3News.

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