Emilie Shimbali
The Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security Albert Kawana has called on all Namibians, regardless of their status, to surrender illegally owned firearms, weapons or ammunition before the end of September 2021. Kawana said this week that Cabinet had successfully launched the “Amnesty Month” of September, and promised that anyone handing in their ammunition, firearms or weapons held in contravention of the law would not be prosecuted.
“After the period of amnesty is over, the police will show no mercy in apprehending those who have unlicensed firearms, armaments or ammunition. We will ensure that they are successfully prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned,” he warned. The implementation of Amnesty Month is part of the African Union (AU) assembly’s agenda decision of 2063 on Silencing Guns in Africa. Amnesty Month has been approved for the next two years.
“Namibia must remain a symbol of peace and security,” Kawana stressed. Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Sebastian Ndeitunga, said government should be commended for its commitment of implementing Amnesty Month, as it will encourage individuals who possess illegal firearms and ammunition to surrender them to the police as it is the right thing to do.
“I’m assuring the public at large that the Namibian Police Force will welcome every individual to surrender all unlicensed arms, ammunition, armaments, unwanted broken arms and related materials, without being criminally charged and arrested,” he added. Last year, the AU held an extraordinary session in Johannesburg, South Africa where member states addressed the root causes of conflicts on the African continent.
The illegal circulation of weapons was exposed as the root of untold suffering among innocent civilians. Governments had taken serious measures to strengthen their ordinary constitutions to eliminate this.
The Namibian Government is, therefore, committed to the full implementation of the vision and aspirations of the AU 2063 agenda.
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