Cape Verde launches new campaign to voluntarily surrender arms and ammunition

The government of Cape Verde is launching a new campaign for the voluntary delivery of weapons and ammunition from this Friday and for a month, almost 10 years after a similar initiative, according to the government’s order.

According to the order of the Ministry of the Interior (MVD) of the current government of the Movement for Democracy (MPD, in power since 2016), to which the Lusa agency had access, a deadline for the voluntary surrender of weapons and ammunition is set from this Friday until July 15, which can be extended.

In addition, he pointed out that during the period allotted for voluntary surrender, an information campaign should be carried out against the illegal possession of weapons and ammunition.

In the Interior Ministry order, Cape Verde calls on owners of unauthorized or licensed firearms and ammunition to voluntarily surrender them to the state at any national police station (or police station or squad depending on the police station), and in this case there is no criminal process.

According to the same order, the transfer of weapons or ammunition to the state must be accompanied by a duly signed Form E, a copy of which must be served on the person transferring the weapons.

Also, in the act of voluntary surrender, owners of unlicensed or permitted weapons and ammunition, who wish to proceed with their legalization, can request their inspection and declaration in order to obtain the necessary license.

“The provisions of the previous issue are equally applicable to owners of weapons and ammunition whose license or permit to use and carry has expired and who wish to streamline it,” the white paper also says.

The Cape Verdean Ministry said that within 15 days, police stations across the country must prepare a report on the campaign, which will be sent to the National Directorate of the National Police.

This new campaign was launched almost 10 years after another similar one, but only for weapons, by the then government of the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV, currently in opposition), in which Marisa Morais was the Minister of the Interior.

The previous national campaign was launched on 24 January 2014 and aimed to collect approximately 6,500 illegal firearms, an initiative that ran until July of that year but failed to gain support.

Last July, the National Police (NP) of Cape Verde announced that in the previous two years it had confiscated more than 5,000 weapons in Santiago Sul alone, which covers the municipalities of Praia, Ribeira Grande and São Domingos, and had already destroyed 1,000 weapons . with final and unattractive process, 400 handmade and 600 white.

A new gun law went into effect in Cape Verde on Thursday that will allow greater regulation, control and punishment, current Interior Minister Paulo Rocha said.

The new law provides for stricter penalties for the illegal possession of firearms and light weapons, primarily toughening the possession of edged weapons, which, like firearms and ammunition, continue to be seized almost daily by the Cape Verdean police authorities.

Two weeks ago, the policy of strengthening public security in the country was discussed in the Parliament of Cape Verde with Minister of the Interior Paulo Rocha, who ensured that the government is “focused” on strengthening security and fighting crime in the country and indicated several measures for this purpose.

The PAICV, which asked the question, criticized the lack of government security policy and felt that the government had lost control of the fight against crime.

The government’s questioning of the crime came two weeks after Manuel Moura, a member of the Movement for Democracy (PDM) parliamentary group in power, was shot to death after a robbery in front of his residence in the Terra Branca area. on the beach.

This is also due to the crime and insecurity that has gripped the country in recent weeks, especially in Praia and Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, the two largest cities in the archipelago, in addition to the constant attacks on people. and commercial establishments.