NAIROBI (Raxanreeb Online) The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) has announced its 2022 Africa Amnesty Month in Lomé, Togo and once again made a pledge towards advancing advancing the AU’s Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2030 initiative.

In its efforts to continue the “Silencing the Guns”
initiatives throughout the year and beyond, the AU Peace and Security Council says it will commemorate the 2022 Africa Amnesty Month (AAM), for the surrender and collection of illicit weapons, from 5 to 6 September 2022, in Lomé.

The commemoration will be led by Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ghana to the African Union and
Chairperson of the PSC for the month of September 2022, with the participation of the High officials of the Government of Togo, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations, the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) and other relevant stakeholders in Togo including the civil society organizations, the media, the private sector and faith-based organizations.

The commemoration aims to encourage civilians to voluntarily surrender illicit weapons in their possession on condition of anonymity and immunity from prosecution.

Moreover, it also aims to promote Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes, as well as to encourage the participation of African civil society – including the youth and women, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and the media to promote the surrender of illicit firearms by civilians during the AAM, among others.

The commemoration will include a symbolic destruction of collected illicit weapons by the Government of Togo.