Thursday, March 28, 2024

Zambia Police to launch clean-up campaign for guns not surrendered during amnesty

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Home affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo

Minister of Home Affairs, Stephen Kampyongo says the Zambia Police Service will soon launch a clean-up campaign to collect fire arms from those that will not surrender within the stipulated African Union(AU)Amnesty month of September.

Mr. Kampyongo said Zambia is committed to ensuring that there was voluntary surrender of arms.

The Minister noted that Zambia Police has attached a monetary gain for those who are willingly surrendering arms as a sign of commitment.

He said the Zambia Police will engage the public in the campaign to ensure that it is successful.

The Minister was speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia last evening before transiting to Geneva to attend an annual Executive Committee meeting of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva.

He said the meeting was important to Zambia as the country was host to many refugees from around Africa.

The Minister said President Edgar Lungu as Chair of the Defense and Security on the SADC Organ TRIOKA was closely monitoring the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo and hoping for a peaceful election.

‘’Although Zambia is working hard in its capacity as SADC Chair for Peace and Security, to ensure a conducive and peaceful atmosphere, we cannot rule out the anticipation of an increase of refugees from Congo DR, if this is not certain,’’ he said.

Mr. Kampyongo said while in Geneva, he will hold several meetings, including a bilateral meeting with the UNHCR High Commissioner to consider the issue of providing social amenities in refugee areas.

The Minister has also congratulated the Zambia Embassy in Ethiopia for the role it is playing in strengthening the voice of Zambia at the African Union.

He expressed happiness that media and military personnel were enlightened on the importance of the Amnesty month following an AU sponsored workshop that took place in Lusaka on the Amnesty month of September on the surrender of illegal weapons.

And Zambia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Susan Sikaneta said Zambia had been recognized as one of the first African Countries that were taking the surrender of arms seriously.

Ms. Sikaneta thanked President Edgar Lungu and the Zambian Government for all the guidance and efforts made that have resulted in Zambia being recognized for its prominent role in the AU flagship programme of silencing the Guns in Africa.

Ms. Sikaneta said the AU found it necessary to sponsor a workshop in Zambia owing to the work that Zambia was doing with regards the programme of silencing the Guns in Africa.

The Roadmap for the AU Flagship programme of silencing the Guns was crafted in Lusaka in 2016 during a meeting of the Peace and Security Council.

This is according to a statement issued to ZANIS by First Secretary for Press at the Zambia Embassy in Ethiopia Inutu Mwanza.

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