Venezuela Launches Disarmament Program

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is launching a nationwide initiative to encourage civilians to surrender their weapons, in an urgent attempt to stem the tide of violence in his country, which has the second-highest murder rate in the world.

Maduro announced the campaign on Sunday while commemorating the International Day of Peace in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. Under the plan, the Venezuelan government will establish a $47 million fund to set up 60 centers around the country where people can voluntarily give up their firearms. Maduro also approved $39 million for a separate plan to install additional security cameras and 2,000 soldiers to patrol alongside police officers in certain neighborhoods in the country.

“We are building peace from within, and for that, you need disarmament,” Maduro said during the announcement.

Venezuela is frequently cited as having the world’s second-highest homicide rate, after ...
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