Mission 21 has joined the Swiss Alliance Against Arms Exports to Civil War Countries. The association launched the "Corrective Initiative" last December. This initiative demands that no weapons be supplied to countries that seriously violate human rights or where civil war is raging.
The initiative wants to correct a decision of the Federal Council: The Federal Council now allows arms companies to supply weapons even to countries involved in an internal armed conflict. The alliance has already collected more than 130,000 signatures, as it announced in mid-May, and will submit the initiative at the end of June. The Swiss electorate will then have the final say on this planned relaxation of the rules on arms exports.
Danger for people in civil war countries
Mission 21 sees the softening of export rules as dangerous because war material exacerbates civil wars and there is also a very high risk of weapons ending up in the hands of terrorist organizations. This could also endanger Mission 21's partner countries, such as Nigeria, Cameroon or South Sudan. In these countries, armed conflicts are already causing much suffering among the population.
Mission 21 is fundamentally reticent about political involvement, but has been committed to peace and justice since its founding: Mission 21's oldest supporting organization, the Basel Mission, was founded in 1815. The relaxation of Swiss arms export rules further endangers the lives of people in civil war countries. That is why Mission 21 supports the corrective initiative, in completing the collection of signatures and in the referendum campaign.
More information:
â–º Alliance against arms exports to civil war countries
