The UN is set to meet in New York early next year to review progress made in implementing its action programme to deal with illicit small arms and light weapons trading.

The African Union (AU) met in the Namibian capital on Wednesday to come up with a unified position on the subject.

While Africa is not a major supplier of small arms, the continent is by far the hardest hit because of the number of conflicts over the last few decades, and also has the worst capacity for dealing with the situation.

In 1999, the International Red Cross estimated that in the Somali capital Mogadishu alone, the city's 1,3 million residents possessed more than a million guns.

The United Nations has stipulated that there could be in excess of 500 million small arms in circulation around the world.

At an international level, the conference in Windhoek agreed to go to the UN next year and ask for technical and financial assistance from countries and international organisations for a small-arms fund.

This fund is meant to support the implementation of measures to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.

The conference also agreed to seek assistance from the international community in areas like developing appropriate laws and regulations, law enforcement, stockpile management and security, as well as in the destruction of small arms and light weapons, and in information exchange.

"Africa cannot easily win this war," the African Union's Director for Peace and Security, Geofrey Mugumya, told The Namibian on Friday.

"We need global support," Mugumya said.

On a national level, the conference reported that it considered the need to strengthen arms management, including strengthening legislation dealing with the gun trade.

According to a post-conference report, the AU also considered as a priority the need for training and capacity-building programmes for law enforcement agencies - especially on border control, stockpile management and record keeping.

Finally, delegates stressed the need for political commitment from each member country to address the root causes of conflict in a comprehensive manner, while emphasising public awareness and education.

However, the congress said it recognised the need for small arms and light weapons programmes to continue, as countries needed to defend themselves from possible attack.

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