News Maharishi in the World Today

How We Present
the News







  
Congo: Purchase of illegal weapons under way

IRIN News    Translate This Article
15 February 2009

BRAZZAVILE (IRIN) - The Congolese government has started an operation to buy 3,000 weapons from ex-combatants and others illegally possessing weapons in the Pool region, southern [Republic of] Congo, an official told IRIN on 11 February.

'Teams have been deployed on the ground. The operation to buy up the weapons started on 10 February in Pool region. It should allow the purchase of at least 3,000 weapons still in circulation in this zone,' Moandzibi Olingoba, commissioner in charge of the reintegration of ex-combatants, told IRIN.

According to Olingoba, about 17 offices where weapons can be handed in have been opened throughout Pool.

'There are also special sites for the destruction of the weapons collected,' he added.

He said the operation would last 11 days. 'Everything has been done to prevent people getting injured during the destruction of the weapons.'

The operation has funding of 500 million CFA francs (US$1 million) from the government. Its main target is the 5,000 ex-combatant Ninjas still active under the former rebel chief, Frederic Bintsamou, alias Pasteur Ntoumi, who has been cut off in his Pool stronghold for more than 10 years.

According to the deputy high commissioner for the reintegration of ex-combatants, Col François Bouesse, the buy-back price for a Kalashnikov is 100,000 CFA francs ($200).

'The more weapons ex-combatants bring in, the more money they will get,' Bouesse said.

Pool was the scene of violent clashes between government forces and Ninja rebels from 1998 to 2003, leaving many thousands of victims and displaced people.

Displaced persons who have managed to get back their land are struggling to receive basic social services, despite the re-establishment of peace, according to humanitarian NGOs familiar with the region.

Arms study

A study published in 2005 by the Small Arms Survey, based in Geneva, reveals that some 34,000 illegal arms are circulating in [Republic of] Congo, most of them in Pool, which also covers Brazzaville, the capital.

No other study on the circulation of weapons has been conducted since then. However, the government in June 2008 launched the National Programme for Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration covering 30,000 ex-combatants, 5,000 of whom are close to Ntoumi.

The programme has US$17 million funding from the World Bank.

Copyright © IRIN 2009

The material contained on www.IRINnews.org comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.



Translation software is not perfect; however if you would like to try it, you can translate this page using:

(Google)
(Altavista babelfish)

Send Good News to Global Good News.

Your comments.


world peace more

World News | Genetic Engineering | Education | Business | Health News

Search | Global News | Agriculture and Environmental News | Business News
Culture News | Education News | Government News | Health News
Science and Technology News | World Peace | Maharishi Programmes
Press Conferences | Transcendental Meditation | Celebration Calendars | Gifts
News by Country | News in Pictures | What's New | Modem/High Speed | RSS/XML