(Business in Cameroon) - The Cameroonian government has just lifted the temporal ban on armories in some regions namely Adamaoua, Central, Coastal, Western, North-Western and South-Western regions. This was revealed by the Minister of Territorial Administration (Minat), Paul Atanga Nji (photo).

However, the official said, in order to avoid a resurgence of slippages and other dysfunctions that led to this measure, the government put the sector under a rigorous supervision and control. In this wake, “any order of arms and ammunition, whether through import or purchase on the local market, will be subject to a territorial authorization, valid for six months”.

Moreover, the Minister of Territorial Administration will allocate an annual order quota to each operator. No importer will be allowed to open armories in more than four regions, or to have more than two stores in the same region. Any attempt to open an agency under a nominee will expose the promoter to permanent withdrawal of its authorization.

Mr. Nji recalled that, according to the commitment made by the sector players during meetings of last September 4 and 5, armory owners or their agents must submit, every week, to the relevant territorial administrative authority (prefect and sub-prefect), the exhaustive list of weapons and ammunition purchasers, along with the corresponding authorizations.

Let’s recall that the measure of closing the armories was decided on 4 April 2018, due to “the proliferation and illicit circulation of firearms of all calibers and ammunition”. More than 23,000 weapons are illegally circulating Cameroonian territory, according to the Minat. 

S.A