Ceasefire Campaign Statement on attack on the US

Ceasefire Campaign statement on the attack on the United States.

"Never again shall South Africa be the fountainhead of conflict in the region and further afield. Never again shall our country be the source of armaments used to suppress our neighbours. Never again shall we spend our people's resources to develop weapons of mass destruction."

-Nelson Mandela, March 1995

The Ceasefire Campaign joins the world in condemning the devastating unleashed through attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, USA yesterday. Although no official figures have been given, it is expected that the death toll will be in the region of thousands. We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

The United States has the most sophisticated state of the art weaponary in the world and it spends billions in developing even more sophisticated weapons, all in the name of protecting the American people. Yesterday's attack, debunks the myth that military security will secure the lives and dignity of people, whilst reinforcing the need for human security as an alternative to military security.

All over the world government's are spending their people's limited resources on arms in the name of security. In South Africa, the government has purchased weapons at a price now estimated at R51-billion [still rising] for the airforce and the navy. A further expenditure of R13, 6 billion on battle tanks for the army is pending. The South African government still argues that the senseless rearmament programme is for our own protection. The attack on the US is clear evidence that continued militarisation at the expense of the world's social problems cannot be relied on in providing security for the people.

Continued militarisation and military strength will no doubt contribute to the increase of unanticipated attacks similar to the one on the US.

Contact: Venitia Govender

Percy Ngonyama

+27 11-339 1363

+27 11-403 5315