LUSAKA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- It is time that member states of the African Union (AU) showed commitment by going full throttle to implement a program of the continental body aimed at silencing guns by the year 2020, a senior Zambia government official said on Tuesday.
Susan Sikaneta, Zambia's Permanent Representative to the AU, said it was unfortunate that illegal weapons were found in many African countries and that the year 2018 should be used as a symbolic occasion for silencing the guns.
She said countries should show commitment by embarking on massive collection of illegal guns which were a threat to the continent's peace and stability and that more publicity during the months leading to September which has been designated by the AU as the amnesty month for surrendering illegal weapons should be undertaken.
"We need wide publicity in 2018 so that the messages of surrendering illegal weapons can reach all corners of Africa unlike last year when there was insufficient publicity from the media," she said during a meeting with the Chairperson of the AU Moussa Faki Mahamat and members of the AU Peace and Security Council in Ethiopia, according to a statement from the Zambia embassy in Ethiopia.
According to her, member states should take effective measures to holistically address all root causes of violent conflicts, including the sources of illicit supply of weapons and ammunition.
She added that it would do well for the weapons to be surrendered so that the continent concentrated on development.
Zambia, she said, has demonstrated unflinching support to the AU flagship program of silencing guns in Africa by putting in place a program for voluntary surrender of illegal firearms.
A master roadmap on silencing the guns by 2020 and approved by leaders in January 2017 was crafted in Zambia during a peace and security retreat in November 2016.
