light weapons are a bit of an issue here in Africa, not as bad as in the USA of course, how could it be, but there are some people here who shouldn’t have been issued with guns. I was driving the other day when I saw a truck coming opposite overtaking cars. The driver was using his high beams to try to make his way by staying on the white line. I kept on going on my lane, not planning to move in the ditch or stop for another daily asshole. So the truck was forced to go back on his lane. I then realised it was a police truck followed by other police vehicles. None showing any flashing red or blue lights whatsoever. From the truck bed, full of policemen, one idiot, full of anger, pointed his Kalashnikov at me! Without thinking my diplomatic finger went straight up. Nothing to improve the “sniper’s” mood… Cops here can be a curious species, not endangered unfortunately.
Weapon training is pretty basic, if existing at all sometimes. Cops can be seen carrying the Kalashnikov like a shopping bag!
I was always scared when I once in a while flew money for the gold mines. That meant 2 guards were on board with shotguns. Hated it. One air pocket and kaboom!
one day in camp, we all woke up with a gun shot at 6AM. A ranger cleaning his weapon…in those days bandits had been attacking camps here and there in the country. Imagine how scared one can be in those conditions…
in South Africa some years back, during a military practice, only one bullet hit the target out of 2800 rounds! Embarrassed by the news, the military bought a simulator device…
you walk in the streets and see some private security guards standing in front of banks, holding a curious array of weapons. Kalashnikovs or rifles! Typical wrong kind of weapons for street fighting if the bystanders are to be taken into consideration. Some shotguns as well, slightly better maybe? Never a gun…
Kalashnikovs are nearly as common as machetes on the continent. As low as 100$ in “good” times. Even pastoralists or herders can be equipped in Kenya or northern Tanzania. Somalia is not too far.
Aeroplanes have been attacked on Tanzanian mining airstrips. For example one superb Pilatus PC12 (3 million $ aircraft) came back one day with 40 bullet holes in it. So much for the pressurization. Some people had died as well of course.
a friend of mine leading a walking safari with tourists in a national park…regulation requires to take (and pay) a ranger along. Bad news but what to do? That day the group came close to an elephant, very close. My friend told the party to stay quiet. Everybody behaved …except the ranger who ran away to climb the next tree!
similar story with another friend who had taken a scout with him to escort the tourists. The scout was carrying both weapons, his and my friend’s. Of course, they came close to some wild animal, a bit aggressive. When my friend turned around to get his rifle to shoot a warning, the scout was already running away with the 2 weapons! Both friends told me that they hated too to have these guys with guns (supposedly loaded) in their back. Same for me in an aeroplane.
and to finish on a grim note: Africa has bought in weapons over the decades since independence the equivalent of aid it has received. OK Africa is not the only culprit, let’s thanks the usual countries which were all too happy to provide these weapons. From Russia, USA, China, France… and Belgium too.
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