Can African Union silence guns in Africa by end of 2020?

Preparations for the 33rd Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit begin at AU headquarters, Addis Ababa this week. Uganda will be among 55 AU member states in attendance. The theme of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU scheduled to take place from February 9-10 is “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development.” It’s a pertinent and timely theme for many AU member states, including Uganda, where gunmen and gun culture are in control and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security.

The summit will be preceded by two preparatory meetings. First, the 39th Ordinary Session of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC), which takes place from January 21-22 at which 55 AU ambassadors and senior AU secretariat officials will meet to discuss various political, economic and social issues. The PRC will also prepare an agenda for the summit together with relevant recommendations for consideration and approval.

Second, a meeting of African Ministers of Foreign Affairs from February 6-7 at which a report from the PRC, including a draft agenda of the summit, will be considered. This 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU Commission will make appropriate recommendations on the theme of the 33rd summit.

Can Africa Union end gun culture?
In January 2017, African leaders adopted an AU roadmap of practical steps to silence guns in Africa by 2020. The 33rd summit will hopefully take concrete measures to effectively implement that decision.

As one who has never held a gun in his lifetime, I welcome the AU roadmap, but shudder at Africa’s big men who adore and glorify the gun and violence, especially those who glorify the AK-47 assault rifle. Former Ugandan president, Gen Idi Amin, once told his officers and men that the gun was their father, mother and brother.

I am afraid that mindset is alive and even flourishing today in Uganda and several African countries. Many African countries are, in fact, ruled by ruthless, incompetent and lawless gunmen who determine the fate of millions of helpless citizens who are held at ransom by the gun. It’s a tragedy of monumental proportions.

A friend reminded me recently of what a senior NRA officer bragged openly about in the 1980s. The senior army officer said he keeps one or two loaded AK-47 rifles beside his bed when he is sleeping, just in case. I am told it’s a common practice in some circles which is mind-boggling and primitive.

The chairman of the AU Commission, Mr Moussa Faki Mahmat, observed recently that while some progress has been made in reducing state-driven conflicts in Africa, recurring internal conflicts, such as in South Sudan, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Mali and Libya are rolling back gains which have been made in efforts to achieve lasting peace in all regions of the African continent.

On December 10, 2019, Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed, a senior army officer in his own right, made the following remarks in Oslo, Norway, on the solemn occasion at which he was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

“Today, I stand here in front of you, talking about peace because of fate. I crawled my way to peace through the dusty trenches of war years ago. I was a young soldier when war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea. I witnessed first-hand the ugliness of war in frontline battles. There are those who have never seen war, but glorify and romanticise it.”

There are unfortunately many perverted and self-condemned men in Africa, including some here in Uganda, who adore and glorify guns, violence and war, as if war is a soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester United. It’s despicable, mind-boggling and unacceptable!

I am glad the AU has seized the moment and opportunity to discuss the enormous damage and tragedy which guns have caused to Africa for generations, with a view to silencing the guns and creating conducive conditions and enabling environment for rapid economic and social development of Africa. The youth of Africa deserve nothing less.

Guns are a menace and threaten the future of Uganda and Africa. The sooner guns and impunity, which guns breed, are silenced forever, the better for Africa. On this matter, the African Union has my full and unconditional support.

Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
[email protected]