Zambia has granted an amnesty for illegal firearms with a reward of the equivalent of about N$1,000 for every weapon surrendered.

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu said as part of the African Union's initiative to silence the guns, Zambia is also taking advantage of the September window to rid the nation of illegal firearms.

Illegal firearms have been a menace in many societies worldwide. It's for this reason that, from the year 2020, the African Union declared the month of September as Africa Amnesty Month for the surrender and collection of illegally owned weapons and firearms.

The scourge of illegal weapons and arms and their illicit proliferation and use in various parts of Africa causes countless deaths, untold suffering, population displacement, disruption of livelihoods, destruction of infrastructure and disruption of economic activities, which all combine to undermine efforts to realise the goal of creating a conflict-free environment as envisioned in Agenda 2063.

The amnesty also covers relatives who could have inherited firearms from their deceased relatives and wished to formalise the documentation.

Individuals who fail to surrender their illegally owned weapons or arms beyond the Africa Amnesty month shall automatically be considered to be in violation of national laws and the Amnesty and shall therefore be prosecuted.