Africa-Press. The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing to launch a large-scale voluntary disarmament operation for civilians from September 22 to December 22 in several areas classified as strategic by the authorities.
The operation aims to recover weapons held illegally by civilians, in preparation for their destruction, as part of the government’s efforts to reduce the proliferation of small and light weapons and to enhance security and stability in the country.
The campaign is part of the African Union initiative “Silencing the Guns,” which seeks to reduce armed conflicts and the illicit spread of weapons across the continent.
To encourage gun holders to voluntarily surrender their weapons, the Congolese authorities announced three main incentives, including complete confidentiality, the granting of legal amnesty, and financial compensation in the form of “weapons for development projects.”
The operation is expected to cover several strategic areas, including the capital Kinshasa, Central Congo, Chopo, Grand Equateur, and Grand Kasai, with oversight from the National Commission for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
This is not the first initiative of its kind in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the authorities have previously conducted similar disarmament operations. In July 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the country had destroyed more than 200,000 weapons, in addition to over a thousand tons of ammunition, including weapons collected during voluntary disarmament campaigns from civilians.
However, observers believe that collecting the weapons already dispersed throughout the country will not be sufficient to prevent the influx of new arms, given the vastness of the Congolese borders and the difficulty of monitoring them. A study published in May 2025 by the Brussels-based research and information group on peace and security “GRIP” highlighted the ease of breaching the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which extend over 10,000 kilometers, along with the risks of weapons leaking from official stockpiles.
So far, the Congolese government has not announced a specific numerical target for the number of weapons it aims to collect during the new campaign, and some details of the operation still need clarification, particularly regarding the nature of the financial compensation to be offered to gun holders and the mechanisms for implementing the announced legal amnesty.
