In Togo, the security authorities proceeded this Tuesday, October 4, to the destruction of 1507 firearms illegally held by civilians. The destruction operation took place at the shooting range in Agoè-Nyivé in Lomé. These weapons, collected over the course of a month, are being voluntarily handed over to the defense and security forces (FDS) and are part of the African Union’s (AU) “silencing the guns” project.
1507 firearms collected in one month in Togo. This is the result of “silence the guns” project initiated by the African Union. According to the National Commission for the Fight against the Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (CNLPAL), these withdrawn weapons consist mainly of shotguns and handmade or automatic pistols.
One removed weapon means many lives
According to the Vice President of the CNLA, Bouraïma Inoussa, the destruction of weapons is a requirement of the various international instruments to combat the proliferation of light weapons.
“Every time a weapon is removed, lives are potentially saved,” explains the Cnlpla Vice President.
The month of the amnesty marked with a special seal
The arms destruction operation that took place on Tuesday marks the end of the month of amnesty launched in Togo on September 7. The month has been initiated by the African Union (AU) since 2017 and aims to eradicate the circulation of small arms in Africa by 2030.
The campaign to withdraw weapons in Togo for the year 2022 has received technical and financial support from several partners. These include the United Nations, the African Union and the Regional Center on Small Arms and Light Weapons, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
