40 illegal guns recovered in ongoing disarmament in Lakes State

JUBA — More than 40 sophisticated illegal guns have been recovered in the ongoing peace disarmament campaign in Lakes State of South Sudan.

Speaking to Sudans Post yesterday, William Koji Kirjok Lakes State Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports who is also the caretaker Minister of Information said the guns collected from the hands of civilians in Rumbek Center include AK-47, RKM and RPK.

“The chiefs have started collecting illegal firearms peacefully and today (yesterday) one of the payams in Rumbek Center have come up officially to the freedom square and they have surrendered their firearms in the presence of the media and public and this is a beginning of positive response youths,” Koji told Sudans Post reporter on Wednesday.

Koji said the youth are given a one-month ultimatum to voluntarily hand over their firearms to the authorities.

“The peaceful disbarment has started early on 1st of this month and end on 1st of next month and the responsibility of peaceful disarmament has been given to local chiefs,” he said.

He appeals to the residents of Lakes State to surrender their guns in the peaceful stage of the exercise before further measures are taken against violators.

“From January next year, if anybody still resists to hand over his gun then the peaceful disarmament will commence and the government is also asking them to continue returning stolen cattle to their rightful owners,” he said

“They have to surrender what they have collected and they have to report whether all illegal firearms have been collected or there are those who have resisted surrendering them peacefully and there is a report of resistant and the government is going to disarm them forcefully,” he added.

He said the authorities have tasked the local chiefs to lead the exercise at their localities across Lakes State.

“The report that we got from various counties and during our touring with the governor, the local chiefs said they have collected firearms and they are only waiting for reporting date where they will surrender or report to authorities what they have collected so far,” he added.

He disclosed the presents of firearms in the hand of civilians are the main cause of violence among the communities.