Sierra Leone lifts ban on small arms and light weapons

6 Aug 2012

FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE: Sierra Leone lawmakers have lifted a ban on small arms in new legislation which seeks to regulate ownership of weapons in a country ravaged by a decade-long civil war, an official said on Wednesday.

"The Act will regulate the private ownership of guns and other weapons in the country to control the proliferation nationwide," said deputy Internal Affairs Minister Raymond Kabia, who piloted the bill.

"The Act will also ensure that stockpiles of small arms and weapons by manufacturers, dealers as well as individuals are securely stored in accordance with prescribed standards and procedures," he said on public radio.

Kabia said a national commission would be responsible for the "regulation and licensing of the transfer, manufacture, sales and use of small arms and light weapons throughout the country."

He added that government would soon destroy a cache of over 6000 weapons and ammunition collected by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 2004.

Kabia also said no new licences would be issued until after the November 17 presidential election.

At the end of a civil war in 2002 which claimed about 120 000 lives, government banned all private ownership of small arms and ordered that all such weapons be handed over to police stations for safekeeping.

Under a massive UN disarmament programme in 2004, 75 000 combatants including 6845 child soldiers were demobilised.

Local hunters and farmers have welcomed the lifting of the ban as many possess home-made guns to hunt or protect their farm crops.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge

Source: I-Net Bridge

For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.

We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.

Go to: http://www.inet.co.za