LiNCSA Chairman Features Prominently at Regional Seminar -On How Trafficking, Diversion Fuel Illicit Trade in Small Arms

MONROVIA – The Chairman of the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms, Atty. Teklo Maxwell Grigsby, II, is in Abuja, Nigeria where he is making presentation on Disarmament & Arms Control at the ongoing ECOWAS-UNIDIR Regional Seminar that runs from November 8-10, 2022.

According to a dispatch from Nigeria, Chairman Grigsby was invited by the Commissioner on Political Affairs Peace and Regional Security (PAPS), Ambassador Abdel Fatau Musah, as a Regional Expert to contribute his expertise at the ECOWAS-UNIDIR Regional Seminar, specifically on Session 3 of the seminar, involving lessons learned in tackling the illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).

The Attorney-at-Law and Chairman of the National Commission made a presentation on Tuesday November 8, 2022, concentrating on what he termed as the “Twin Evil fueling illicit trade in SALW, i.e, – ‘Trafficking and Diversion’!

Atty. Grigsby extensively deliberated on the Legal and Regulatory Framework for Arms Control; Arms Control Laws & Penal law, Marking and Tracing-distinguishing State Weapons & Civilian Weapons utilizing the ECOWAS Unique Marking as required by the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons,   Their Ammunition and Other Related Materials, Institutional Arrangement & Coordination between and amongst several institutions with statutory mandate including the Commission, Police, Joint Security and the Judiciary, Enforcement/ emphasizing arms control linkage to the Justice System and Ownership, Public Destruction and Confidence building.

Session 3 of the Seminar, Lesson learned in tackling the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons was moderated by Madam Afi Yakabu, Executive Secretary of Ghana National Commission on Small Arms with panelists to include; Dr. Sani Adamu, Small Arms Division, ECOWAS, Mr. Mohamed Coulibaly, Researcher, Coventional Arms and Ammunition Programme, UNIDIR, Allan Ngari, Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator for West Africa, Institute for Security Studies, ISS and Mr. Mathias Steinebach, Program Manager, OCWAR-T.

Chairman Grigsby will moderate Session 5 on Countering the Proliferation and Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in West Africa in the morning hours of Day Two of the seminar on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. The Panelists for Session 5 include Madam Anna Mensah, Associate Researcher, Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme, Mr. karl Wagner, Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies, Madam Nicole Ntagabo, Mines Advisory group and Mr. Thomas Unokhua, Nigeria Army Cyber Warfare Command.

Chairman Grigsby returns to Liberia at the climax of the Seminar on Thursday, November, 10, 2022.

It can be recalled that the Republic of Liberia, through the National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA) has and continues to benefit from several donor support to include the ECOWAS-EU, Organized Crime West Africa Response to Trafficking (OCWAR-T), African Union-United Nations Joint Support Project on Silencing the Guns, The Arms Trade Treaty Voluntary Trust Fund support to filling Arms Control gaps in Liberia.

Liberia has also repealed the act establishing the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms, thus establishing the Liberia National Commission on Arms and amended the Fire Arms and Ammunition Control 2015 to domesticate the United Nations Global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).