By Dora Addy
‘Yes, people pull the trigger-but guns are the
instrument of death. Gun control is necessary, and delay means more death and
horror’- Eliot Spitzer, Former Governor of New York.
As part of activities to mark the UN International Day
for the destruction of weapons in the capital, Accra, the National Commission
on Small Arms Commission (NACSA), destroyed 1,300 illegal guns in the country.
The guns which were said to be marked and broken
before being set ablaze, were made of single-and-double barrelled shotguns,
locally made and imported pistols, pump action guns, and local mortars.
But the commission has warned that more than 1.1
million of such firearms and light weapons might be in wrong hands.
It’s true. Most Ghanaians are not just alarmed about
the existence of these weapons rather the question has been how we have lived
with these weapons hiding with certain members of the public, and even more,
those dangerous weapons that have not been discovered! How did these
individuals get hold of such artillery?
Perhaps, we
have taken our national security for granted. Maybe we have not considered
enough the extent to which we must protect peace, or much still, secure ways of
developing and sustaining a national consensus on armament.
But whatever be the case, there is the need to
understand that the peace we enjoy should also be safe-guarded. This move is
certainly not to cause panic among Ghanaians, rather we should also appreciate
the efforts of Government to realign our country toward peaceful development.
The world over, arms laws exist to control the
movement of arms into a country. In most African countries, civilians do have
easy access to arms. But in most developed countries, states have made access
to these weapons quite easy; the laws on light arms are not so stringent, so
just about anyone who qualifies to have a gun can do so.
There are sales points for these weapons and people
who wish to be in the retail business need to secure a license. Much freedom on
arms purchasing in developed nations has not helped much. Making weapons easily
and readily accessible to civilians has not helped the democracy of most
developed nations.
To what extent
should a state allow arms to its fold? Who are the custodians of these weapons,
and what measures are put in place to prevent these weapons from getting into
wrong hands?
On the world scale, the UN Program of Action (PoA) on
small arms and light weapons (SALW) envisages the convening of Biennal Meetings
of states to consider the global implementation of the Program of Action.
 |
| John Kudalor, Inspector General of Police |
GUNS? BUT FROM WHERE?
Now, most Ghanaians would have the question of the
source of these weapons. Most of the
guns are said to have been seized in 2015 by the various security agencies
within the country, from smugglers, and suspected armed robbers, and also
during conflicts and raids on small arms.
Others get in illegally from other countries through
shipment. While there are devious ways to hide some of these weapons, most of
them have gone unnoticed at security check points at the ports and harbours.
While the number of small arms that come into the
country growing at an alarming rate, there is also the fear that security
personnel at the ports and harbours may be complicit, through bribery to get
these weapons secured and shipped into the country.
SMALL ARMS PROLIFERATION IN
GHANA
Ghana is constantly confronted with the issue of
proliferation of Small and Light Weapons (SALW). Civil unrest culminating from political
violence, armed robberies, and chieftaincy disputes, and other threats to civil
peace have all been fuelled by the proliferation of small arms.
It has been observed that small arms remain the
primary weapon of intra-and inter-communal feuds, local wars, armed
insurrections, armed rebel activities, election violence and terrorism all
across the sub region.
Experts say the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons has not only led to
the proliferation of conflicts in most African countries, but also illicit
transfer, storage, diversion and misuse
of small arms and their ammunition, largely contributes to pre –and-post
election violence and civil wars.
A survey by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping
Training Centre (KAIPTC) in 2015 discovered that 2.3 million individuals
nationwide owned small arms, of which 39% are from the Northern Region
alone. 1.9% of the number are from the
Ashanti Region, 1.7% are from Brong- Ahafo Region, 16% from the Greater Accra
Region, 9% from Upper East, and Central Region, 8%.
ORIGINALLY MADE IN GHANA
History unravels the manufacture of gun making as an
ancient art in Ghana, even before the arrival of the colonial masters. In
Ghana, the making of guns dates back to several hundred years in pre-colonial
history, when they were deployed in the slave trade, to fight colonialism.
Locally, raw materials are cheap, and retail prices
are high, and so most people look to find themselves in the trade, and the most
common locally manufactured weapons are shotguns, pistols and single-barrel
guns.
Every region within the country has a gun
manufacturing workshop, but Suame-Magazine area in Kumasi is a dominant zone
for gun-manufacturing, and largely attributed to the presence of mechanical
shops. In this area, there are a large number of craftsmen who produce many
kinds of goods from scraps, local weapons being one of those manufactured
products.
In the Central Region, Agona Asafo, a town considered
one of the oldest in the Central Region, boasts of two workshops of between two
or three gunsmiths and apprentices, whose clients have been the Asafo (warrior)
companies who deploy weapons for musketry displays during festivals.
THE PUPPET MASTERS
It is largely found that some politicians are at the
helm of violence during general polls exercises. Taking advantage of arms
proliferation, some unscrupulous politicians do acquire weapons and employ the
services of some youths to engage in violence.
These public officials who are involved have
businesses with other people who make supplies to them when the need arises.
Truth is, some politicians have knowledge about the
proliferation of arms in the country. But could that be the reason why
enforcement against small arms has not been made strong?
THEY TOO ARE CULPRITS?
Have you ever wondered why security personnel have
become culprits themselves in the arms race? These people are paid on tax
payers’ money to secure the peace of the citizenry. Yet, many have been found
vaunting for these weapons.
Some arrests made in the country have involved
security personnel who have either been directly involved in robberies or
supplied weapons to armed robbers.
Recently, two police men have been allegedly involved
in an armed robbery case in Donkorkrom, Afram Plains, where they attacked a
Ghana Commercial Bank bullion van and shot dead the driver. They escaped
shortly after their arrest. They have been re-captured.
Last year, a soldier, Sargent Alhassan Hameed, was
sentenced to 75 years in prison, after pleading guilty to charges of armed
robbery, in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
An Assistant Immigrations Control Officer, Richard
Atiso, was picked in 2015, for selling illegal arms to civilians. He was
arrested in the course of negotiating to sell a gun to a supposed buyer.
Three soldiers, together with three civilians, were
arrested in 2014, for robbing mining firms in the Ashanti Region. Lance
Corporals Dacosta Aboagye, Yeboah Samuel, and Baffour Michael, with their
accomplices went to the Prime Gem and demanded gold and money. They were
arrested while escaping with their booty.
THE SMALL ARMS COMMISSION
The avoidance of good practices in arms acquisition
enables a series of serious problems; the long-term effects can be
catastrophic.
Government is still working hard to sustain peace
through arresting individuals in possession of illegal arms while preventing
new cases.
Through the National Commission on Small Arms (NACSA),
government is tightening securities at national armouries, enhancing weapon
marking and tracing, and also increasing intelligence gathering to enhance the
work of security agencies.
The NACSA has also embarked on a number of
interventions to prevent arms proliferation in Ghana, amongst which the current
laws on arms and ammunition will be reviewed, to meet international best practice.
The National Commission on Small Arms
(NACSA)established by an Act of Parliament in 2007, (Act 736), to deal with
matter on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), and among other things provide
sensitization to the public on the dangers of proliferation of small arms to
our peace, security and development.
In 2014, the NACSA began a nationwide exercise to mark
all weapons of the various agencies, including the military, the Police,
Prisons, Immigration and Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS). This
means, providing a database of all weapons in order to keep track of them. This
forms part of measures to control illegal arms in the country.
NIPPING IT IN THE BUD THROUGH
THE LAW
Although there are attempts to protect the national
interest, it is also wise that some limitations are placed on the acquisition
of weapons. The world over, states have been buffeted by the extinction and
strong entrenchment of local laws to control and limit arms.
In African countries, this plays on the low level of
democracy, where national leaders would pamper themselves with a huge stock of
arms, to support the power subversion attempt or unconstitutional power
retention efforts.
Ghana, a member state of ECOWAS, has ratified the
ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), which provides for a
ban of arms transfer by member states with possibility of exemption for the
legitimate defence and security needs, law enforcement and participation in
peace support operations.
The Arms and Ammunition Act 1962 (Act 118) as amended
by the Arms and Ammunition Amendment Decree 1972 (NRCD 9) and the Arms and
Ammunition (Amendment Act 1996) prohibit both the manufacture and assembly of
firearms. Conversely, these laws legalize the repair of guns after a license
has been acquired.
GENERAL STATE SECURITY
Ghana, considering our state of security, has been
dented much by political unrests, especially, in the beaming era of coup
d’états in the 70s and 80s, and now civil wars in the North.
Through these events, there were severe losses of
human lives and development retardation. Today, history has got our country in
its books as one of those states that have resorted to arms use, resulting in
detrimental human effects.
Our resort to violence as a means to peace or democracy
could also mean that, it is possible that individuals can use violence again,
to achieve their aims and purposes.
Guns come as a natural tool for battle; it kills
faster and achieves its purpose within a short time, killing several without
much human effort.
Hard effort must be put in to protect the peace we are
enjoying today.
THE EVILS OF ARMS
PROLIFERATION
It is a good thing that Government is finding means to
protect its people from danger; whether from internal or external sources.
Though some have argued that arms production can be good because it provides
ready weapons at a cheap cost in the event of conflicts, the bad sides far
outweigh the good sides.
Arms proliferation increases the risks of conflicts
which also spur on a chain of more difficult human and economic situations.
The increase in arms will likely yield to violence
through civil wars, armed robbery, political violence, activities of land
litigation issues through land guards, etc., when not checked. Civilians are
likely to resort to violent means to get what they want when access to some of
these weapons become easy.
The abundance of illegal weapons will likely create an
atmosphere of political instability. When not checked arms will get into the
hands of those irate members of society who would always wish to have their way
when policies are not going well for them. The subversion of most states erupts
out of not having control measures to handle illegal weapons.
Civil violence will always attract a humanitarian
situation. People lose their lives on a large scale. A UN report states that
around 300,000 people lose their lives through gun battles, around the poor
regions in Africa. In Ghana, the Bawku and Yendi cases in the North are
examples.
Economically, foreign investment will be hampered, as
conflicts drive investors away than keep them. Also, the loss of infrastructure
could deeply wound our foreign investment goals and development.
There is also the fear that some of these weapons will
get into wrong hands, while some wielders of these weapons may use it to
terrorize civilians.
TOWARDS ELECTION 2016
The electoral process in Ghana has been generally
peaceful in the last two decades; a proud achievement of national maturity and
determined effort to advance towards development.
However, some arrests have been recorded, but national
security has not been disturbed.
In 2007 for example, 21 boxes of ammunition cartridges
were said to have been seized. These boxes were made up of 5,250 pieces being
smuggled into the Bimbilla North District, in the Northern Region.
The NACSA is still working hard to prevent incidences
of gun violence during this year’s general elections.
In January this year, the NACSA held a two-day
workshop on the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which was adopted by the UN General
Assembly in 2013, and ratified by Parliament in July 2015 to regulate the trade
of ammunitions. This is towards a peaceful 2016 elections.
In order to control arm possession by individuals as
we veer towards the general elections, Government has declared a 32-day
amnesty, from August 22-September 23, to help retrieve all unlicensed guns in
the country. This would enable those in possession of unregistered weapons to
either register them or turn them in to the police, and those who contravene this
order after the set period will face the law. This measure, announced by the
Ministry of Interior, is designed to conform to best practices globally so that
proliferation of arms is duly controlled.
CALMING FEARS
We need to understand that this is one of the key
processes to ensuring peace on the land. Though the arms delivery has awakened
fears among Ghanaians, we need to also depend in the reliability of the
military that would use it.
There could be human errors in this step, but the
fundamental truth is that, our national security is being protected, and it is
our hope that it will be achieved.
The current amnesty given to individuals in possession
of guns is also one way to secure national peace during elections.
Strengthening existing laws on arms licensing and
providing a strong database for all arms in the country, while continually
updating those data can be helpful.
The confiscation and destruction of illegal weapons
should be entrenched by the NACSA, perhaps on a monthly basis; arrests and prosecution
should be meted out to those that refuse to comply.
Those local centres that manufacture weapons must have
licenses, as well as some information about those that patronize their
products.
Meanwhile, more education should be used to address
the problem of proliferation and its dangers, on a regional basis.
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