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One man was killed and several injured on Tuesday when a grenade was discharged at the Port Loko South demobilisation centre, some 60 km northeast of Freetown, the National Committee for Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (NCDDR) reported.
This means that there may be weapons being held illegally by ex-combatants in demobilisation centres, NCDDR said in a press release. It urged ex-combatants to hand in weapons being held in the centres "to prevent any further tragedies".
NCDDR said handing in a single hand grenade would not entitle an
ex-combatants to enter the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process.
"The disarmament process is based on the principle of one combatant, one weapon or a specific number of people for a group weapon," NCDDR said. It said a minimum of 20 grenades could qualify an ex-combatant for the DDR process whereas a single grenade "will be collected, but it will not qualify an ex-combatant for DDR".
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