North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a new campaign to collect illegally held weapons and ammunition. The move comes as the region, which remains under a state of siege, faces persistent insecurity.

The provincial government said in a statement issued on November 12 that military governor Major-General Evariste Kakule Somo signed an order on October 29 authorizing the operation.

The order offers cash rewards to anyone who voluntarily hands in weapons: 100 dollars for an AK-47 or similar rifle, 200 dollars for a support weapon, and 1 dollar per round of ammunition. It also guarantees anonymity and immunity from prosecution for participants.

A commission that includes the Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization Program (PDDRCS) has been set up to oversee the campaign. The provincial government said the effort is funded by the central government with possible support from technical and financial partners and individual donors.

The initiative follows a rise in violent crime in Beni and Butembo, where banks, homes and businesses have been repeatedly targeted by armed groups. Civil society groups have urged authorities to tighten controls on the movement of weapons in the province.

Similar programs have been carried out in the past. Between 2008 and 2011, the NGO Peace and Reconciliation (PAREC) ran a weapons-collection campaign across several provinces after waves of violence. In North Kivu, PAREC sought to collect 30,000 weapons and had recovered about 9,347 by October 2010, according to local media. By July 2011, it had handed over more than 7,545 weapons and 54 tons of ammunition to military experts. In Kinshasa, more than 11,000 illegally held weapons were recovered in 2009, Le Figaro reported.

Timothée Manoke