Government must initiate disbarment to end the contagion of inter-communal conflicts, road attacks and military-civil strife.
The widespread possession of illegal firearms and light weapons proliferation by citizens that breed ill blood and scoundrel, in the country must be brought under control.
As the country prepares to hold elections, the army, which is deployed to ensure peace and security of the citizens occasionally gets head-on in confrontations with elements in possession of illegal firearms.
Towards the end of last year, silent disarmament was conducted in selected spots and unified forces were deployed, which brought a tremendous positive result of tranquillity.
Absence of the illegal firearms and the security deployment resulted in citizens ushering in the new year in peace, without gunshots in the major urban areas and minimal cases of crimes.
However, the porous rural areas have remained prone to unnecessary and misuse of firearms against individuals or groups, causing mayhem as inter-communal clashes tend to surge day by day.
The Nasir incident between the army and the fishing community, showcases the epitome of the pandemic underneath, for a gun is deadly whenever the trigger is pulled regardless of who does it. Whether an authorized individual or one possessing it illegally, its nature of harm is always the same, and for that matter, the civil population must keep off.
Abyei, where lots of lives lost, conflicts between communities in Western Bahr El Ghazal and Warrap, which silently steals innocent souls from both sides. Torit-Kapoeta Road attacks, Kaji-Keji killings and many others in the states are all effects of illicit firearms.
Firearms and military wears are only entitled to the security for duty but in a scenario where everybody is in possession, how do we distinguish at a time of misuse? How can a confrontation between armed individuals end peacefully? How best can a military officer(s) intervene to halt confrontation among the armed civil population without getting entangled?
Positive answers to these questions are only possible through disarmament.
Earlier disbarment, the better.