WAANSA Launches Peace Campaign for Sahel in Vienna

The West Africa Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) has initiated a campaign for peace in the Sahel region, coinciding with the 2026 World Security Congress held in Vienna, Austria. The campaign is part of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, which aims to improve national regulations on stockpile management and mark international cooperation to reduce the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons (SALW).

Engr. Francisco Chidi Georg Okoli, the director of WAANSA, urged the international community to adopt proactive initiatives capable of ending conflicts in the Sahel region, which remains a significant threat to global peace.

In his speech titled "Sahel Region: Emerging Threat to Border Security in West Africa," Okoli highlighted that 51.9 percent of global terror-related deaths are linked to this area. WAANSA called for enhanced cross-border cooperation and global support to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.