Africa-Press – Liberia. At the launch of the September 2022 Africa Amnesty Month Project in Liberia, which seeks to eliminate the illicit use of guns, citizens are being asked to voluntarily surrender firearms as a way to further ensure the peace and security of the country.
Speaking during the launch of the project, the Chairman of the Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA), Atty. Teklo Maxwell Grigsby, said that the possession of firearms by civilians poses a serious threat to the peace and security of Liberia and the sub-region.
According to him, his Commission has launched the Africa Amnesty Month Project to sensitize the citizens on the need to voluntarily surrender firearms.
The project was launched on Tuesday in Monrovia at a program attended by some members of the 54th Legislature, development partners, academia, civil society actors, security officers, and traditional leaders under the theme: “Silencing the Guns.”
With funding from the German Federal Foreign office (GFFO) and support from the U.S. Government, the project aims to educate the citizens on the danger of possessing firearms and to report the same without fear of any form of intimidation.
Grigsby said during the forum that about 200,000 of Liberia’s population are in possession of small arms. According to him the possession of firearms by civilians is a violation of the laws of Liberia.
He explained that Liberia’s 1986 Constitution abolished the rights of civilians to carry firearms, except for hunters.
“Every Liberian believes that they have the constitutional right to possess firearms but such rights have been abolished because of the amendment of the 1847 Constitution,” he explained.
“We amended that provision of the Constitution that gives rights to civilians. This is why, at every function of ours, we remind Liberians that the rights have been abolished. However, there was a statute in 1956 that allowed people to register their arms and this has become a practice that people register arms to the police,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Small Arms Commission Chairman said that the statute has become prohibited since 2017 when former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf issued an Executive Order to prohibit civilian possession of arms, except for hunters.
“People are using firearms in violation of the law. They are saying the place is not safe for them so they violate the law to ensure their safety,” he stated.
He said the Africa Amnesty Month Project has been in existence since but it was in 2017 that Liberia had the opportunity to benefit from direct funding, which he disclosed was due to the farsightedness of his administration to develop a five-year strategic plan to address the issues of firearms.
“The Liberian government is thankful for the support and we look forward to more,” he said.
Also making a remark, Jiaming Miao of the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa said that the project was important for Liberia and it will help in reducing private arms within the communities.
He said that sex, rape, slavery and violence are practices that take place when civilians are in possession of small arms.
But, according to him, civilian women in some countries are doing well to create awareness about the danger of the use of firearms.
Miao praised Liberian women for using their resources to create awareness in the communities about the illegal use of small arms.
He said that the MANO River Union remains supportive of the Liberian government for the elimination of small arms in the Union’s member countries and its surroundings.
Launching the project, Jefferson S. Kanmoh, National Security Advisor, Office of the President, said that the role the Commission on Small Arms plays is very crucial and that the peace that Liberia has enjoyed for the decade is irreversible.
He acknowledged the role the international community has played in supporting the peace in the country.
According to him, the Liberian government has also remained supportive in ensuring the peace of the country.
He said that for the project to become successful, the President will issue a proclamation that will grant amnesty to all Liberians to voluntarily report firearms.
Kanmoh said that this is the time for Liberians to take the bold initiative to ensure peace so that prosperity can reign in the country.
The Africa Amnesty Month Project seeks to engage the communities, opinion leaders, authorities, and professionals drawn from communities to develop increased partnership activities and multi-disciplinary relationships to foster more contributions to the public decision-making process in matters of eradication of illicit firearms towards silencing the guns in Africa.
According to the Small Arms Commission, communities in Montserrado, Sinoe, Bong, and Lofa Counties have been targeted to create awareness about the possession of small arms and to report them to the government.
In 2013, at the African Union’s 50th anniversary, African States committed to “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” and achieving a conflict-free Africa, build, sustainable peace, and sowing sustainable development on the continent.
In 2017, the AU Assembly declared the month of September each year until 2020 “Africa Amnesty Month” for the surrender and collection of illegally owned weapons, in line with African and international best practices.
The commitment has since transformed into a flagship initiative for the first ten-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063. This is also in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular, target 16.4 on the significant reduction of illicit arms flows.
The Africa Amnesty Month helps to collect some of Africa’s millions of illicit small arms and light weapons.
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