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Angola: Disarming of Civilians in Four Phases
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Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 March 2008
Posted to the web 6 March 2008
Luanda
The programme of disarming of civilians in illegal possession of weapons will take four phases, which will help outline consistent plans for a successful operation.
This was said Wednesday in Luanda by the Home minister, Roberto Leal Monteiro "Ngongo", while addressing the closing of the two-day workshop on disarming of civilians in unlawful possession of firearms.
According to the minister, the first phase will consist in the organisation and awareness and will take place from March to June this year. This will include actions of organisation, mobilisation and awareness about the process of disarming.
Roberto Leal Monteiro explained that the second phase that will take place between April and June 2008, is reserved for voluntary surrender of arms at designated places.
From July on, the third phase will start with a cohersive disarming of those illegally possessing firearms. Those found in unlawful possession of firearms will be taken to book.
In the fourth stage of the whole process, starting in August this year, the authorities will evaluate the actions developed and could embark on an operation to disarm those who insist keeping weapons unlawfully.
According to the official, with the implementation of this plan, the Government wants to show the political will to carry out the operation in a transparent way and with a large participation of the civil society.
To this end, it was also said, the State will count on the assistance of the communities, through the traditional and ecclesiastic authorities, public and private companies, as well as through the training in forms of mobilisation and involvement of the populations.
The official further explained that once collected, the armament could be destroyed or re-used, should they prove obsolete or in good condition.
The minister Roberto Leal Monteiro said the process involves not only removing from the society the instruments of violence, but also, first and foremost, dissuading individual from indulging in violence.
"This armament when out of control of the structures of the State concerned, in addition to all other negative consequences, can also produce effects that inhibit foreign investment, tourism and other important realisations for the national economic development," said the minister.
On the other hand, the Home minister appealed to the citizens, the civil society, the private security firms and the self-protection systems to cooperate with the authorities.
He also urged those in illegal possession of weapons to voluntarily surrender them to the nearest police station.
The international workshop on disarming of civilians in illegal possesion of firearms was sponsored by the Home Affairs Ministry. It was attended by specialists from Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Nicaragua, USA and UK, who exchanged views about the implementation of the measure.
The meeting went under the motto "Unarmed citizen: stability and security for everyone".
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The event sets the start of the countrywise process of disarming of citizens in illegal possession of firearms and aims at sensitising and mobilising the population on the danger poses by the existence of weapons in the hands of unauthorised people.
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