Twenty-nine guns and rounds of ammunition were on Saturday, destroyed through incineration at the Upper River Region village of Koina, about 52 km away from Basse.

The arms - voluntarily surrendered by the community of Koina Ward under the framework of the Sub-Regional Small Arms and Light Weapons (SRP-SALW) project - comprised rifles, pistols and 28 rounds of live ammunition.

Ousman Sonko, Secretary of State for the Interior, presided over the ceremony, alongside the commissioning of a string of community micro-projects, on behalf of Aja Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President and Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs, who is also the Chairperson of the National Security Council.

The project was implemented by the West African Network for Peace-building (Wanep) The Gambia and the community of Koina Ward, in collaboration with the Canadian Fund for Africa through Oxfam, and the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation. The Gambia started implementing the project in 2005, after a survey, followed by a massive sensitisation programme.

On the theme: Lets safeguard and consolidate the peace and stability in The Gambia, the symbolic arms destruction saw the commissioning of a new multi-purpose skill centre, two grinding machines for groundnut and coos respectively, as well as the laying of the foundation for a hand pump well. The projects were awarded to the community as rewards for their willingness to surrender the arms. It is aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of unregulated arms trade and arms possession.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of State Sonko emphasised the Government’s commitment to ensuring peace and stability in the country, after extending President’s greetings and well wishes to the community.

The Interior Secretary of State Sonko confirmed that the country recently experienced an upsurge of armed robbery. He affirmed that his department will leave no stone unturned to deal with criminals and criminal activities, noting that “we need the assistance and cooperation of the citizens to prevent and fight against crime”.

He said The Gambia has adopted the Ecowas Protocol on the Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons and will gear up efforts for its signing and ratification.

He lauded the project as complementary to the Government’s efforts, describing it as successful. “The success of the project is enough justification for it to be extended to other communities,” he urged, reiterating the importance President Jammeh places on security, peace and stability.

SoS Sonko commended Wanep and the community of Koina Ward for the achievement, and then thanked the donors, the Departments of State for Interior and the Defence, the Gambia Armed Forces, and other partners for their collaboration.

Pamela Cole, National Coordinator of Wanep, (the focal point for the project in The Gambia), said the country has to learn from the experience of other countries ravaged by conflict by implementing conflict prevention strategies. “We do not have diamonds, gold, iron or bauxite. But we have a priceless commodity,” she said.

Ms Cole expressed the need for other communities to borrow from Koina’s experience, reiterating that gone are the days when the security of a state rest solely on the shoulders of the security personnel. “The people are now at the centre of security,” she said, urging that the project be sustainable.

Mustapha Jobe, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Department of State for Defence, pointed out that no development can be achieved in the absence of peace, saying “it’s high time we say yes to peace and no to conflict”.

Alagie Bachilly, Alkalo of Koina Ward, commended the government and its development partners for the initiative, maintaining the village in the past, had been lagging behind in development. He lauded the projects as relevant to the socio-economic development of the people.

Other speakers at the ceremony - characterised by cultural performances - included members of the management team in Dakar and Canada and the representatives from Senegal and Guinea Bissau.

Mamadou S Kah, Assistant Commissioner of Upper River Region, Lt Col Masanneh Kinteh, Commander of the Gambia Armed Forces, Pa Silva, Police Commissioner for Upper River Region, Alhaji Bacho Ceesay, Chief of Kantora District, and some other officers of GAF, attended the ceremony, as well as members of the community.