United States,Yemen
US Ramps Up Arms Exports to Yemen, Feeds Established Gun Culture
Inter Press Service News Agency
1 January 2010
UNITED NATIONS - When Yemen refused to vote in support of a U.S.-sponsored Security Council resolution against Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, a visibly angry U.S. delegate turned to the Yemeni diplomat and said: "That will be the last time you will ever vote against a U.S. resolution." Washington's subsequent retaliation, in the aftermath of that negative vote, was predictable. The United States not only downgraded... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa,Ghana
West African Journalists Commend 9 Countries for Tackling Gun Control
Ghana News Agency
12 November 2009
ACCRA -- The West Africa Network of Journalists for Security and Development (WANJSD) on Wednesday commended the "Group of Nine ECOWAS Countries," for ratifying the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), their ammunition and other related materials. Mr Francis Ameyibor, WANJSD Deputy General Secretary, stated in an interview with Ghana News Agency in Accra that considering the proliferation of SALW constituted a major... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central Africa,East Africa,Kenya,Rwanda,Somalia,Sudan,Uganda,Burundi,Congo (DRC)
Small Arms Control Group Decries 'Huge' Proliferation of Guns in Africa
Xinhua
3 November 2009
NAIROBI -- The Regional Center on Small Arms (RECSA) has decried the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes region, Horn of Africa and bordering states. RECSA Executive Secretary Francis Sang noted that the center was working in collaboration with the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa to promote disarmament. To address this problem, he said, the governments should support the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia,Southern Africa
Local, US Experts Probe Illegal Gun Possession, Crime in Southern Africa
New Era (Windhoek)
29 September 2009
WINDHOEK -- Military and security experts from across Southern Africa, the USA and Europe are meeting in Windhoek to identify practical measures that will help address problems caused by the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The proliferation of SALW poses a serious security challenge, as not only do the they prolong the duration of armed conflict but also threaten long term stability and development... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia
Global Shooting Lobby Touts Killing African Game Animals to Save Them
New Era (Windhoek)
16 September 2009
WINDHOEK -- Scores of leading scientists, professionals and hunting industry representatives are meeting in Windhoek to exchange the latest research and information on the role of hunting on ecology and the economy. The meeting, the first-ever symposium on 'Ecological and Economic Benefits of Hunting' to be organised by the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities (WFSA), has brought together 60 representatives from... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Mexico Meeting Tackles Global Gun Trade, Security, Development
United Nations
11 September 2009
MEXICO CITY -- Taking weapons out of the hands of those who used them would help save lives everywhere, but that alone would not stop the thriving global arms trade and make the planet safer, Alfredo Ferrariz Lubang, Regional Representative of the Bangkok-based Nonviolence International South East Asia, said as the sixty-second annual DPI/NGO Conference continued in Mexico City this morning. Speaking during a round-table discussion... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa
Governments, NGOs Talk Up Fight Against Gun Trafficking in West Africa
Daily Observer (Monrovia)
10 September 2009
MONROVIA -- Stakeholders in the fight against small arms and light weapons in West Africa have ended a one-day retreat at Thinker's Village along Roberts International Airport (RIA) Highway in Monrovia. For years, they have been involved in a holistic fight against proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the sub-region. The day-long Inter-Agency Synergy Retreat was organized by the Liberia National Commission on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Report Finally Tabled: Gun Culture 'Almost Cripples' Papua New Guinea
Islands Business (Suva)
12 August 2009
Three years and 10 months after a government committee looked into the gun issue in Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare's government has finally tabled the committee's report in Parliament. Internal Security Minister Sani Rambi when tabling the report with its 244 recommendations admitted the country has a very serious gun problem that needs to be tackled as a matter of urgency. The widespread use of illegal guns throughout PNG... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Rebels Retain Their Weapons in Slow Start for Niger Delta Gun Amnesty
Inter Press Service News Agency
10 August 2009
Nigeria's president Umaru Yar'Adua is embarking on an ambitious move to end armed insurgency in the country's oil-rich Niger Delta region. Under a government initiative which started on Aug, 6, militants in the region have 60 days to hand over their arms in return for a presidential amnesty, unconditional pardon and reintegration programme. As the first week of the amnesty period draws to a close, only a few weapons have... ( gunpolicy.org )
Oceania, United Nations, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
United Nations Gun Chief Says Pacific Has Illicit Small Arms Problem
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave), Audio
25 June 2009
The United Nations is working to halt the daily toll of one-thousand people around the world killed by small arms. The job of halting the toll taken by small illegal weapons has now been placed in the hands of United Nations Ambassador, Pablo Macedo. Ambassador Macedo is Chair Designate for next year's United Nations Biennial Meeting of States on Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons. Speaker: United Nations Ambassador, Pablo Macedo... ( gunpolicy.org )
Oceania, Australia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, United Nations
Guns Threaten Pacific Stability, Ammunition Controls on Way, UN Told
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave)
24 June 2009
Guns in the Pacific region have the potential to create chaos, economic damage and social disruption, a conference has been told. The meeting of Pacific Island officials in Sydney was sponsored by the United Nations Disarmament Office and the Australian Government. The two-day event, which has just wound up, looked at the scale of the problem and initiatives to tackle it. It was chaired by Mexico's Pablo Macedo,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Oceania, United Nations
UN Meeting Tackles Gun Culture, Crime, Ammunition Curbs in the Pacific
ABC Radio Australia (Shortwave) / Pacific Beat, Audio
24 June 2009
Guns have the potential to create chaos, economic damage and social disruption in the Pacific. That is the message heard at a 2-day meeting of Pacific Island officials that has just wound up in Sydney. The meeting, jointly sponsored by Australia and the United Nations Disarmament Office, looked at the scale of the problem and initiatives to tackle it. Speakers: Ambassador Pablo Macedo, Chair-Designate, UN small arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, United States
Eight US Senators Push Clinton to Support Global Gun Trade Treaty
Export Industry News (USA)
19 June 2009
A bipartisan group comprised of eight senators is urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be a strong proponent of an international Arms Trade Treaty to regulate the interstate transfer of conventional weapons. The second session of the United Nations' Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the Arms Trade Treaty is scheduled to convene at the United Nations July 13-17. The OEWG is tasked with creating international regulations... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Illegal Gun Trade Threatens Uganda's Economy, Says Police Chief
Uganda Pulse, Web page
19 June 2009
The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura has said the proliferation in small arms is the leading cause of economic collapse in most African countries. Kayihura says access to small arms in African societies is one of the causes of civil unrest in Africa which in turns affects economic activities. Maj. Gen. Kayihura says the political unrest in Somalia and DR Congo among other African countries is a result... ( gunpolicy.org )
Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, West Asia
Weapons for Warlords: Gun Running, Arms Trafficking in the Gulf of Aden
Jamestown Foundation (USA) / Terrorism Monitor Volume 7, Issue 17, Web page
18 June 2009
In the Hobbesian anarchy that has been the norm in Somalia since the late 1980s, the proliferation of weapons has been associated not only with the pursuit of political power but also with international terrorism and the protection and furtherance of economic objectives in the region. Somalia lies at the heart of regional arms trafficking networks that include governments and private traders in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Developed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nepal
Gun Crime, Trafficking, Armed Domestic Violence on the Rise in Nepal
Republica (Kathmandu)
14 June 2009
KATHMANDU -- Conflict analysts studying impacts of small arms on Nepal's peace process have concluded that Nepal is seriously suffering from proliferation of small arms. It is estimated that there are around 55,000 small arms across the country at present. At a program jointly organized by International Action Network on Small Arms, SAPA-Nepal and IHRICON on the occasion of Week of Action Against Gun Violence in the capital on Sunday,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sierra Leone
Gun Smuggling, Home-made Firearms Worry Sierra Leone Police, NGOs
Awoko (Freetown)
28 May 2009
The Assistant Inspector General of Police Eastern Region Al-Shek Kamara has disclosed that the rate at which light weapon and small arms are entering through the porous borders of the country is very alarming. He also stated that most of these weapons are found within the Gola Forest chiefdoms in the region. The AIG east made this disclosure while addressing Traditional rulers, civil society and other stakeholders in the eastern... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Under the Gun - Violence and Displacement in Central African Republic
IRIN (UN News)
28 May 2009
NAIROBI -- The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in the throes of a humanitarian crisis for more than a decade. Army mutinies, coups and attempted coups, rebellions, gangs that kidnap for ransom and, more recently, elements of Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army have made life for civilians, especially in the north, extremely challenging, unpredictable, and very dangerous. As IRIN's new documentary film, Under the Gun,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan
Civilian Disarmament Campaign Launched to Control Guns in Sudan
Voice of America
27 May 2009
NAIROBI -- The government of Southern Sudan is planning an ambitious campaign to disarm hundreds of civilians in the semi-autonomous region. Tribal clashes in parts of southern Sudan have killed as many as 1,000 people this year, a development that could threaten the fragile peace with the north. Southern Sudan has long suffered from clashes between tribal groups over cattle and land. But according to the president of the semi-autonomous... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan
To Redevelop Sudan, Buy Back Guns from Ex-Combatants and Civilians
New Sudan Vision, Opinion
24 May 2009
Sudan as a whole is and will continue to be in oddities from the post-conflict spilt over small arms and their misuse for quite sometime. If we, however, inject some science in this scenario in order to define and justify this eccentricity, it would be logical to see the inter-tribal small arms' conflict as after-shock from the aftermath of the twenty one years of a brutal war with each other. These definitions and many others will help... ( gunpolicy.org )
Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
West African States, Guinea-Bissau Work to Curb Gun Trafficking, Misuse
IRIN (UN News)
22 May 2009
BISSAU -- The government of Guinea-Bissau must work on several fronts to cut the number of light weapons in the country -- estimated at some 650,000. Regional instability, crime and weak governance toughen the battle, observers say. Widespread possession of weapons among civilians is fallout from years of war, according to Antonio Mazzittelli, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in West Africa. "The availability of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Guns Empower Rapists, Drive HIV/Aids, Rob Congo Families of Future
Daily Nation (Nairobi), Opinion
5 March 2009
The horror of sexual violence that has blighted the lives of women and girls in DR Congo is nowhere more apparent than at Panzi Hospital, in Bukavu. The first thing that strikes you is the long queue of women. In some parts of East Congo, three out of four women have been raped during the 14 years of conflict. Panzi is East Congo's leading referral hospital for rape survivors, who constitute over two thirds of its patients.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Somalia
Somalia a Land of Chaos, Awash in Smuggled Assault Rifles, Machine Guns
Toronto Star (Ontario)
1 March 2009
So much blood has drenched the red dust of Somalia that it forms a dry river of death beneath the feet of the latest killers and victims. Last week, another 80 people died in battles between African Union peacekeepers and Islamist rebels, as terrified civilians fled the capital Mogadishu and the town of Hudur to the south. During the Islamists' two-year struggle to dislodge a teetering transitional government, some 16,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa
Professor's Research on Gun Trafficking in Africa Will Empower Citizens
Targeted News Services / Northeastern University, Boston, Media release
23 February 2009
BOSTON -- Curbing the "unregulated and irresponsible" arms trading business -- an almost $50 billion per year industry that leads to more than a thousand deaths worldwide every day -- is "one of the most pressing issues of this century," says Denise Garcia, assistant professor of political science and international affairs. Garcia, whose book "Small Arms and Security -- New Emerging International Norms" examines illicit arms trafficking... ( gunpolicy.org )
Solomon Islands
Total Gun Ban, Weapon Destruction Brings Peace to Troubled Pacific Nation
BBC News
23 February 2009
HONIARA, Solomon Islands -- A parliamentary panel in the Solomon Islands, in the South Pacific, is debating the future of an Australian-led peacekeeping force. The UN has praised it as a model of regional intervention -- but is its work now done? The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is not one of the world's best-known peacekeeping forces. But the story of how peace has been built here, in this former... ( gunpolicy.org )
Russia, Africa, China
Russia's 'Illegal' Gun Sales Arm Smugglers, Gangs - Accra Think Tank
Inter Press Service News Agency
29 January 2009
MOSCOW -- Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, plans to grow the volume of Russian armament and military equipment to Africa over the next four to five years. This comes on top of allegations that Russia is selling arms to smuggling and contraband rings, thereby contributing to conflict on the war-torn continent. "We have revived our contacts with all African countries that used to be traditional buyers of Soviet weaponry,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia
To Aid Development, Liberia Police Plan to Locate, Collect Illicit Guns
Liberia Broadcasting System
3 January 2009
The National Chairman of the Community Policing Forum of Liberia, Nyenati Kaffay says, the Forum has embarked on the exposure and collection of small arms in the communities. Mr. Kaffay said the project is being supported by UNDP to buttress the effort of the Liberian Police. Speaking Friday in an interview in Paynesville, Mr. Kaffay noted that the exposure of arms in the various communities is crucial to the development... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa
Decades of Progress Reversed by Millions of AK-47s Dumped in Africa
Strategy Page (USA), Web Page
20 December 2008
Angola, whose long civil war ended six years ago, is trying to curb decades of violence by collecting and destroying weapons, especially the cheap AK-47s that have flooded the region in the last two decades. So far this year, the government has collected over 50,000 illegal weapons, many of them AK-47s. These are publicly destroyed, several thousand at a time, and reduced to scrap metal. The AK-47 has become as much of a curse for... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Uganda, Sudan
AK-47s Cross Borders Freely in Warlords' Gun Markets of North Rift Valley
Standard (Nairobi)
10 December 2008
Ethokon Lumana Engolon was relaxed and enjoying herding his cattle and goats 500 meters away from his Manyatta in Kalimorock, Turkana South District, when his life was transformed. The day had began well and his mind occasionally wandered as he took pride of how his stock had doubled and fattened. He was excited that with the onset of short rains and maturing of new pasture, the long trek in search of water and pasture... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Uganda Claims to Have Disarmed 80% of Karimojong Pastoralists
New Vision (Kampala)
30 October 2008
KAMPALA -- The government has disarmed 80% of the warriors in Karamoja sub-region, a senior security official has said. Olandason Wanyama reports that speaking at the closure of a two-day National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) review workshop recently, the regional internal security officer, Emmy Twagira, said the region was now more peaceful. "Compared to what people used to read and hear about Karamoja, the situation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
Proliferation of Guns in Rift Valley Threatens Development in East Africa
Indiana University Press, Book review
29 October 2008
The small arms threat to peace, security, and sustainable development. "A path-breaking examination of a highly important and hitherto largely neglected topic." -- Mark Leopold, University of Sussex. "A systematic overview of the effect of small arms on pastoralism and governance in Karamoja and Samburu/Laikipia/Turkana." -- Philip Winter, Rift Valley Institute Recent estimates indicate that more than 640 million... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Illegal Guns, Armed Violence Still 'A Major Problem' for Bougainville
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
20 October 2008
The presence of weapons throughout the Autonomous Region of Bougainville is a major problem for the Autonomous Government. Ministers Joseph Watawi (Trade and Industry, Tourism, Customs, Quarantine, Port Services Micro Finance), Ezekiel Massatt (Police, Public Service, Planning) and Glynne Tovirika (Veteran Affairs) and Gerard Sinato (Health) attended a reconciliation ceremony at Sanakova village in the Selau/Suir District of North... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Global Gun Trade 'Out of Control,' Fueling Conflict, Poverty, Says Oxfam
Press Association (UK)
8 October 2008
The arms trade is "out of control" and is destroying global attempts to tackle poverty, according to a new report. International aid agency Oxfam said many developing countries will not reach their fundamental targets for human advancement because of "irresponsible" arms dealing. Its report, Shooting Down The Millennium Development Goals, said weapons trading had damaging consequences far beyond the immediate effects of... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations
America Leads World in Multi-Billion Economic Cost of Gun Crime Death
Associated Press
11 September 2008
GENEVA, Switzerland -- The United States leads the world in economic loss from deaths caused by armed crime, according to a global survey to be released Friday. The United States registered an estimated loss of up to $45.1 billion in terms of economic productivity because of violent crimes, said the report by the United Nations Development Program and the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey. At least 490,000 people are killed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda, East Africa, United Kingdom, United Nations
Britain Urges UN Members to Urgently Endorse Global Gun Trade Treaty
Daily Monitor (Kampala)
10 September 2008
KAMPALA -- The UK government is rallying the 192 UN-member countries to urgently endorse the draft resolution on global Arms Trade Treaty to streamline international sale of guns, which protagonists claim will choke supply of deadly weapons to terrorists and dictators. Mr David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, says the unregulated marketing of military hardware has inflamed devastating civil wars, mainly in poor countries,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa, United Nations
African Nations, UN Meet in Kenya to Canvass Global Gun Trade Treaty
BBC News
3 September 2008
African ministers are due to meet UN disarmament officials and arms control groups to help form a united position on a conventional arms trade treaty. The talks in Nairobi have been called by the Kenyan government. Arms control groups argue that Africa has lost billions of dollars in conflicts fuelled by unregulated weapons sales. They also say that a proposed treaty could significantly reduce the human and economic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, West Africa
Kenya Calls Influx of Illegal Guns 'Main Cause of Instability' in West Africa
Xinhua
3 September 2008
NAIROBI -- Kenya said on Wednesday the proliferation of small arms and light weapons were the main cause of instability in the region. Speaking at a meeting which brought together African ministers, UN disarmament officials and arms control groups in Nairobi, Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula blamed the influx of uncontrolled trade of arms in Africa to European and Asian countries. Wetangula said Asian and European nations... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa
Loopholes Aid African Gunrunners: Kenya Touts Global Gun Trade Treaty
African Press Agency
3 September 2008
NAIROBI (Kenya) -- Serious arms proliferation in most African countries go unchecked due to loopholes in national laws, Kenya Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said on Wednesday at the opening of an arms treaty conference in Nairobi. Reading a speech on his behalf, his deputy Richard Onyonka said African countries lose $264 million annually in human life and economic potential due to arms proliferation. He said conventional... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
UN Arms Trade Treaty Conference Seeks to Regulate Global Gunrunning
Voice of America
3 September 2008
NAIROBI -- Ministers and civil society leaders from 18 African countries, U.N. disarmament officials, and arms-control advocates are meeting in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to try to form a united position on a proposed treaty to regulate the global arms trade. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from Nairobi, the arms treaty is viewed as a critical element in international efforts to reduce the human and economic cost of conflicts, especially... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Illegal Guns Key to Karamoja Insecurity, Disarmament Falters in Uganda
New Vision (Kampala)
31 August 2008
KAMPALA -- The availability of firearms in Karamoja, a region in north eastern Uganda has exacerbated insecurity and more people are being killed in ambushes and livestock raids. Despite the Government's efforts to disarm the Karimojong, recent reports indicate that the region has more firearms than anticipated. The Government has so far recovered 25,000 guns but a recent report by Small Arms Survey; a regional body that researches... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan
Guns Threaten Development, Gender Equity, Security in Afghanistan
IRIN (UN News), Web Page
25 July 2008
The worsening security situation in Afghanistan is reducing the ability of humanitarian agencies to deliver life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities, according to a report by IRIN. Some 1.5 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance to respond to a severe drought. The French agency Action Contre la Faim (ACF) suspended operations in Afghanistan after 2 staff were kidnapped on 18 July. ACF has 250 staff in the country, and... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Annual Report Launched at UN: Global Gun Theft, Trafficking, Gun Violence
United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), New York, Media release
14 July 2008
As delegates gathered in New York to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action on the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, the Small Arms Survey 2008: Risks and Resilience, was launched at a Headquarters press conference this morning. The book is the eighth annual review of global small arms issues, which is produced by a team of researchers based in Geneva, Switzerland, and a worldwide network of local... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan
Taking Civilians' Guns by Force Will Not Improve Security in South Sudan
Sudan Tribune (France), Opinion
2 June 2008
In response to decades of armed violence and cattle rustling, the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) is planning a campaign to forcibly collect firearms from southern citizens. Government officials' motivations are understandable. Endemic pastoralist violence is reaching dangerous levels and there are widespread suspicions of outside support for the perpetrators as part of efforts to scupper the fragile north-south peace process. But coercive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea Politicians Must 'Deal with Gun Issue as National Crisis'
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
9 May 2008
The development of Papua New Guinea is under serious threat with the ever increasing number of illegal guns in many parts of the country. The Post-Courier editor in chief Oseah Philemon said this after he was awarded a Divine Word University UNESCO Communication and Development award for reporting on gun-related issues in the country. Mr Philemon said gun-related incidents against innocent people were frequently reported... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Ban Ki-moon Gives First Report on Global Gun Trade to UN Security Council
Associated Press of Pakistan
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The uncontrolled trade in small arms and their excessive accumulation and proliferation poses a threat to international peace and security, a senior UN told the Security Council Wednesday. "We have all witnessed how these weapons have been used to maim and kill; plunder and rape; instil fear and insecurity; block humanitarian aid; hold communities at ransom; destroy the social fabric of entire countries; and how... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Security Council Holds Open Debate on Threat of Global Gun Trade
Xinhua
1 May 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council held on Wednesday an open debate on the threat posed by the illicit flow of small arms to international peace and security. During the meeting, Hannelore Hoppe, deputy to the high representative for disarmament affairs, presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's first-ever report on small arms. In the report, the UN chief said that, while a build-up of small arms alone may not... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
UN Chief Urges Countries to Enhance Data Sharing on Guns, Ammunition
Associated Press of Pakistan
24 April 2008
UNITED NATIONS -- UN Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says. These weapons are "cheap, light and easy to handle, transport and conceal," Ban wrote in his first-ever report on the topic. "While a build-up of small arms alone may not create the conflicts in which they are used, their excessive... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa
Development Money to East Africa Fails to End Gun Trade Among Herders
Daily Nation (Nairobi)
17 April 2008
LONDON -- Donors have been asked to stop funding NGOs working for peace in northern Kenya because the money has failed to do anything to reduce conflicts between pastoralist communities. Moreover, governments in East Africa have been challenged to do more to stop the proliferation of arms in the region. They have also been urged to work jointly to disarm all militia groups to improve security in the region. These are the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Papua New Guinea
Bougainville Residents Want 'Outside Force' to Seize, Destroy Illegal Guns
Post-Courier (Port Moresby)
10 April 2008
A concerned citizen says a majority of the people from Central Bougainville want an intervention force to deal with the weapons issue. The citizen, a long-time resident of Arawa Town who did not want to be identified, said the silent majority of Bougainvilleans were fed up with the Autonomous Bougainville Government's claims the weapons disposal issue could be solved by Bougainvilleans themselves. "This is an outright lie... ( gunpolicy.org )
Canada, United Nations
Nations View Global Burden of Gun Violence Through a Development Lens
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
9 April 2008
Poor countries are less safe than rich ones. Most of the world's 30-odd armed conflicts are raging in the global South. As a country's human development ranking declines, its risk of succumbing to violent conflict grows. More than one-third of all countries mired in poverty experienced war since the late 1990s. Fewer than two per cent of rich countries experienced conflict over the same period. The international aid community has... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Uganda: Gun Running, Armed Violence Could Harm Northern Peace Deal
Daily Monitor (Kampala)
28 March 2008
KAMPALA/GULU -- As northern Uganda prepares for a post-war recovery programme that will see thousands of displaced people resume a normal life, arms trafficking is becoming a serious security concern among the stakeholders. Security and local leaders fear that the problem of illegal guns and weapons said to be in the hands of former LRA combatants, Karimojong warriors, army deserters, robbers, arms traffickers from Southern Sudan,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angola Plans 'Guns for Development' Weapon Collection, Destruction
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
30 January 2008
LUANDA -- Angolan Home minister, Roberto Leal Monteiro "Ngongo", said Wednesday in Luanda that his institution will intensify actions to disarm the civilian population. Speaking in an interview with the State-controlled "Rádio Nacional de Angola" broadcasting station, the official said the Interior Ministry has for that purpose defined three phases for the process. He mentioned sensitising and organisation (including a... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria, West Africa
Governments, NGOs, UN Plan Roadmap for Gun Control in West Africa
This Day (Lagos), Opinion
15 January 2008
LAGOS -- The proliferation, misuse and illegal possession of small arms and light weapons (SALWs) is becoming a common culture in various societies. In the not-too-distant past, SALWs was alien to the African society apart from the crude and primitive ones used by hunters in the hinterland. Today, the incessant cases of political instability, deepening poverty, crimes of armed robberies, assassinations, militancy, oil bunkering,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mali, West Africa
Mali, West African ECOWAS Nations Launch Surveys of Gun Proliferation
Angola Press
8 December 2007
NIGERIA -- Mali's Minister of Defence, Mr. Natie Plea, has described the Small Arms Survey as a great opportunity to find ways to ensure a stable polity through the control of small arms and light weapons. A statement from the ECOWAS Small Arms Programme (ECOSAP) said Mr. Plea made the remarks earlier this week at the launch of the small arms survey programme of Mali. He gave kudos to ECOSAP, which is supporting the conduct... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Guns, Armed Violence, Insecurity in Nigeria: The Niger Delta in Perspective
Relief Web / Small Arms Survey (Geneva), Web Page
5 December 2007
This report is based on field research that was carried out by the Small Arms Survey and our Nigerian partners from September 2006 to April 2007. Consequently, the analysis presented here reflects the situation in Nigeria during this period. While the report does address some key events that took place after April 2007 -- the inauguration of the new president, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua; the initiation of peace talks in the Niger Delta; and the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa
A Better Strategy for Africa: Development and Security in Exchange for Guns
Inter Press Service News Agency (Johannesburg)
27 November 2007
DAR ES SALAAM -- Increasing international co-operation in exchange for guns and improving the sense of domestic security are promising strategies for reducing the number of small weapons in the hands of civilians in developing countries, a leading expert on the matter says. Keith Krause, programme director of the Small Arms Survey, told IPS that taking weapons from civilians in developing countries is the toughest part of cutting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
An Arms Trade Treaty Is Needed, But African Nations Also Need More Guns
Arab News (Jeddah), Editorial
12 October 2007
Yesterday's release of a report by the highly regarded international aid organization Oxfam spelled out in detail how wars and insurgencies have cost African countries $18 billion a year since 1990. It compels us to pay attention, especially when the preface is by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, a country that knows only too well the costs of civil war. The report makes sober reading. The money lost could have been... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Africa Needs Global Gun Trade Treaty to Curb War, Massive Economic Loss
Bloomberg (USA)
11 October 2007
Armed conflict has cost sub-Saharan Africa about $284 billion over 15 years, equal to the amount of international aid the world's poorest continent has received in the same period, Oxfam International said. Oxfam, in a report it published today with two groups that promote non-violence, said Africa is losing more than $18 billion a year on conflict. The average war shrinks an African nation's economy by 15 percent, according to... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Africa, United Nations, United Kingdom
Baby's Gun Death Sparks Family's Campaign to Curb Global Gun Violence
Scotsman (Edinburgh)
11 October 2007
Four years ago, on a warm summer evening in July 2003, a young Turkish woman was relaxing in a café in the fishing resort of Foca in south-west Turkey, her young son asleep in his pram beside her. Ozlem Grimason had been enjoying a family holiday in her native country with her Scottish husband, David, and their two-year-old son, Alistair. David had just gone back to the couple's home in East Kilbride -- a couple of days early,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Devastating Cost of Africa's Gun Violence: £150bn and Millions of Lives
Guardian (UK)
11 October 2007
Conflicts in Africa since the end of the cold war have cost the continent £150bn, equivalent to all the foreign aid it has received over the same period, according to a report released by Oxfam today. The study, Africa's Missing Billions, says that almost half of the countries on the continent have been involved in some form of conflict since 1990 at a substantial cost to lives and development. The report compares African... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
First Global Gun Trade Treaty Would Particularly Benefit Africa, Experts Say
IRIN (UN News)
11 October 2007
DAKAR -- The creation of a global Arms Trade Treaty currently being debated by the United Nations' first committee would particularly benefit Africa according to various arms control experts. "Arms don't necessary cause conflicts in Africa but they do fuel them and make them bloodier and more costly," Oxfam's Debbie Hillier, a policy advisor on small arms who spoke to IRIN. She is the lead author of a study released on... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Global Gun Trade a Big Contributor to Death, Poverty of Millions of Africans
Reuters
11 October 2007
JOHANNESBURG -- Wars stripped about $284 billion from Africa's economies between 1990 and 2005, roughly equal to the amount of aid money given to the world's poorest continent, according to a report on Thursday by Oxfam International. In the study "Africa's Missing Billions," the British aid group said the 23 conflicts engulfing Africa in the period had shrunk economies by an average 15 percent per year at a cost of almost $18 billion... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana, Africa, United Nations
Global Gun Trade Treaty: 15 Years of Gun Violence Have Cost Africa $300bn
Daily Mail (Accra)
11 October 2007
The cost of conflict on African development was approximately $300bn between 1990 and 2005, according to new research by Oxfam International, IANSA and Saferworld. This is equal to the amount of money received in international aid during the same period. The study "Africa's Missing Billions" is the first time analysts have estimated the overall effects of conflict on GDP across the continent and comes as diplomats from around the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, Africa, United Nations
Kenyan Tribal Elder Asks the Question: How Do All These Guns Get Here?
BBC News (Scotland)
11 October 2007
Eileen Clarkson of Oxfam Scotland travelled to Kenya as part of the Control Arms campaign with David and Ozlem Grimason, whose son was killed by a gunman in Turkey. On the day a new report reveals the cost of conflict on African development, she tells the BBC Scotland news website why there should be an Arms Trade Treaty. When I was pregnant with my first child, the midwife told my group of first-time mothers that such... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
153 Nations Call for a Worldwide Crackdown on the Illegal Trade in Guns
Inter Press Service News Agency
10 October 2007
UNITED NATIONS, New York -- The demand comes as diplomatic talks start this week over the future of a proposed treaty that would require global rules and regulations to check the flow of illegal weapons. The proposal to create such a treaty was adopted by the General Assembly last year after more than 150 countries voted in its favour, 24 abstained and one opposed. Many among those that refused to endorse the resolution are large-scale... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Costly Gun Wars, Firearm Violence Swallow Up £140billion in Africa
Metro (UK)
10 October 2007
The real cost of war War in Africa has cost the continent at least £140billion in 15 years -- as much as the amount given in international aid, a report claims. Conflict has sucked £8.8billion from economies each year, money that could be spent on saving lives, Oxfam said. Some 38 per cent of the world's armed conflicts are being fought in Africa. The average state has lost 15 per cent of GDP each year as a result of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa
Gun Availability Fuels Fighting in Africa, Costs Billions Needed for Aid
North County Times (California) / AP
10 October 2007
DAKAR, Senegal -- Africa's nearly two dozen wars in recent decades have robbed the continent of about $18 billion a year that could have gone to helping one of the world's poorest regions build stronger economies, according to a report being released Thursday. "This is money Africa can ill afford to lose," Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wrote in an introduction to the report by the British charity Oxfam and two groups... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Nations, NGOs Promote 153-Country Push for UN Global Gun Trade Treaty
Reuters
10 October 2007
UNITED NATIONS -- Former U.N. military commanders, pressure groups and diplomats urged the United Nations on Tuesday to pass more stringent controls on the global arms trade. At a news conference organized by aid group Oxfam International, they called for a framework to prevent arms transfers in cases where they are likely to be used in violation of international law, to fuel conflict or undermine development. There is... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, United Nations
Wars Cost Africa US$18 Billion Annually: Global Gun Trade Treaty Needed
Africa Focus / allAfrica.com (Washington)
10 October 2007
WASHINGTON, DC -- A new study shows that conflicts in Africa cost the continent over 300 billion U.S. dollars between 1990 and 2005 -- an amount equivalent to all the international aid received by sub-Saharan Africa in the same period. The results of the study were released Thursday in a report by Oxfam International, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) and Saferworld. The report is the first to show, on a large... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, United Nations
US Partners With UN, Destroys 2.5 Million Guns, Small Arms World-wide
USINFO (US State Department), Web Page
1 October 2007
WASHINGTON -- Left unattended, even small stockpiles of surplus and obsolete AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers and shoulder-fired missiles could be stolen and used to fuel regional conflicts. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have been launching shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles against Western aircraft. In 2003, a German DHL cargo plane taking off from Baghdad International Airport for Bahrain was struck by a shoulder-fired... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana, West Africa
Gun Proliferation Hinders Development in West Africa, Says ECOWAS
Ghana News Agency
28 September 2007
Members of the ECOWAS Small Arms Programme (ECOSAP) Advisory Board have been charged to use their wealth of experience to define a vision to overcome the challenges posed by proliferation of small arms in the sub-region. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, President of the ECOWAS Commission, was speaking in Abuja, Nigeria, on Monday during the inauguration of the ECOSAP Advisory Board. Dr. Chambas recalled that proliferation of Small... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Proliferation of Firearms, Gun Violence is Growing Global Health Problem
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
8 September 2007
GENEVA -- The growing number of civilians holding firearms is fuelling gun crime worldwide and is putting healthcare systems, especially in poor countries, under stress, an expert report says. Gun crime kills about 250 000 people a year and injures many more. "The proliferation of civilian gun arsenals is not likely to slow anytime in the foreseeable future," says the report. The study was conducted under the auspices of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Afghanistan, United Nations
Gun Control in Afghanistan: UN/US-led Effort to Retrieve 10 Million Weapons
Ottawa Citizen (Ontario), Opinion
6 September 2007
Once heralded as a success story in the global war on terror, Afghanistan is reaching a tipping point. In spite of desperate efforts by western governments to contain spiraling violence outside of Kabul, more than 4,400 Afghans were killed in 2006, many of them by gunfire. Although NATO troops are struggling to put down the Taliban-led insurgency, efforts to regulate and collect the tools of war must be redoubled. Recent news that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kosovo
Kosovo Police Confiscate 500 Smuggled Handguns, Rifles, Ammunition
BBC Worldwide Monitoring / RTKTV, Transcript
3 August 2007
Kosovo Police Service [ShPK] in cooperation with Kfor [NATO-led Kosovo Force] last night [Wednesday] seized over 500 small firearms; this is one of the most successful operations carried out by the anti crime police unit. [Reporter] KPS exhibited on the table its latest success, they showed 506 small arms of different calibres; most of the pistols were Berretta type 6.35 calibre, hunting riffles, close to 2,000 rounds, two magazines... ( gunpolicy.org )
Malawi
Malawi a Target for Gun Trafficking, Promises Curbs on Firearm Smuggling
Afrol News
27 July 2007
The geographical location of Malawi has threatened the country's peace and stability as evidenced by the proliferation of small firearms from its troubled neighbouring countries. And according to Malawian deputy Home Affairs of Malawi, Symon Vuwa Kaunda, this is the reason why the country has become a target route for small firearms trafficking and small firearms related crimes. Mr Kaunda delivered the speech during the commemoration... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda
Ugandan Govt Destroys 34,000 Rounds of Ammunition Dug Up at Brickworks
New Vision (Kampala)
25 July 2007
About 34,040 bullets were burnt at Kigo Prison yesterday. A team of explosive experts, led by the Anti-Terrorism Unit assistant commissioner of Police, Abas Byakagaba, constructed the six incinerators that were used to destroy the ammunition. The bullets were discovered in September 2006 by a 72-year-old brickmaker, Falasiko Ssentumbwe, the Kakola LC1 defence secretary and his assistant only identified as Mutoro in Kakola village,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria, West Africa
West African NGOs Call for Govt Collaboration on Global Gun Trade Treaty
This Day (Lagos)
3 July 2007
LAGOS -- Various stakeholders have called on the Federal Government to set up a Small Arms Working Group (SAWG) to meet on ways to check proliferation in the country. The committee, when convened, is also to discus a cross-regional methodology for data collection; information sharing between members, network and the Government without endangering the lives of members of the Working Group and other interested parties. Above... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica
United Nations Plans to Implement Gun Control Programme in Jamaica
Jamaica Gleaner
23 June 2007
With an election approaching and political tension threatening to spill over into violence in some inner-city communities, the United Nations (UN) is readying a gun-control programme for Jamaica. The programme is not deliberately coinciding with the election but is part of the UN's wider emphasis on security in Jamaica, stressed country representative Arturo Hein-Caceres, who has experience with arms control in Serbia-Montenegro.... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire
West African Nations, NGOs Meet to Battle Gun Running, Gun Violence
Daily Observer (Banjul)
22 June 2007
ABIDJAN, Cote d'Ivoire -- The first sub-regional small arms-sensitive civil society consultative forum on the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States Small Arms Control Programme (Ecosap) opened on Wednesday at the Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. About a 100 members of the civil society, including delegates from 13 Ecowas member states are participating in the two-day Waansa (West African Action Network... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, United Nations
A Death by Gunshot Every Minute: UK Govt Pushes Global Gun Trade Treaty
Guardian (UK), Opinion
19 June 2007
Small arms kill one person every minute. I believe this is neither inevitable nor acceptable. So today I am calling on the world to take action to stop weapons getting into the wrong hands and to prevent thousands of brutal, unnecessary and unjust deaths. There is an opportunity -- for the first time -- for a global deal to control the movement of small arms, such as AK47s and anti-aircraft rocket launchers, as well as heavier weapons... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Kingdom, United Nations
Britain Urges World to Make UN Global Gun Trade Treaty a Top Priority
Khaleej Times (Dubai) / Agence France Presse
19 June 2007
LONDON -- Britain's International Development Secretary Hilary Benn on Tuesday called on world leaders to make a priorty the concluding of a treaty regulating the trade of weapons. Writing a comment piece in The Guardian daily, Benn said that there "is an opportunity -- for the first time -- for a global deal to control the movement of small arms, such as AK-47s and anti-aircraft rocket launchers, as well as heavier weapons like... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa, United Nations
West African ECOWAS Nations to Fight for Global Gun Trade Treaty at UN
This Day (Lagos)
19 June 2007
LAGOS, Nigeria -- President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has called on West African states to support the global move towards an Arms Trade Treaty. He made the call at the ECOWAS recent Heads of State Summit in Abuja, Nigeria. The call was also made during the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence (11-17 June) when governments, UN agencies and civil society groups highlighted the problems of gun violence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia, West Africa
West African Nations Call for Greater Restrictions on Global Gun Trade
United Press International
18 June 2007
ABUJA, Nigeria -- More West African nations are supporting efforts for greater restriction of the global arms trade. The head of the Economic Community of the West African States said that by having an international arms trade treaty, violence in the region could be reduced significantly. "West Africa has suffered from gun proliferation and misuse for too many years," said ECOWAS president Mohammed Ibn Chambas, adding that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil, South America, Central America, United Nations
Global Gun Control Week Builds Pressure on Gun Violence in Latin America
O Globo (Rio de Janeiro), Opinion
11 June 2007
It is Global Action Week against Armed Violence and we need to follow up on two important processes: internationally, the Geneva Declaration, and in Brazil, the new National Plan of Public Security and Citizenship. The Geneva Declaration on armed violence and development is an initiative of the Swiss government aimed at reaching a resolution on this issue at the UN General Assembly by the end of 2008 and defining goals for security... ( gunpolicy.org )
Liberia
Action Network on Small Arms, UNDP Campaign for Gun-Free Liberia
Analyst (Monrovia)
4 June 2007
MONROVIA -- In an effort to help make Liberia a gun-free nation after 14 years of civil war, the Liberia Action Network on Small Arms (LANSA), is calling on Liberians to join ongoing campaign by the UNDP Small Arms Control Programme to make Liberia a gun-free society. Speaking recently in Monrovia at a three-day capacity-building workshop held under the auspices of the UNDP, the head of the Secretariat of LANSA, Nicholas Faryombo,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Montenegro
Serbs Admonished to Celebrate New Year Without Firing Guns
Canadian Press / AP
28 December 2005
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- Police, sports clubs and even the United Nations have a message to Serbs celebrating the New Year: "Don't shoot!" Worried about the risk to life and limb from celebratory gunfire, the UN Development Program in the Balkan republic, as well as several sports clubs and the police have launched a campaign warning residents to refrain from the annual tradition of firing guns into the night sky as a way... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations
Little Guns, Not Nuclear Missiles, Account for Millions of Deaths Around World
Age (Melbourne)
22 February 2003
The young soldier, sweating in his uniform in the hot sun, is answering questions from the public about the Iroquois Bushranger helicopter. Its purpose is to suppress ground fire, he says. By shooting at them? Well yes, but this has not been used "in anger" since the Vietnam War. "Hopefully, in the future, it will only ever be used for training, to help us to keep the peace. That's all we wanna do," he says in a resigned voice. The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Solomon Islands
Hell in the Pacific
Weekend Australian
1 December 2001
There has been no bread in Honiara homes this week. The staff of life has been absent from the Solomon Islands' capital after eight former employees turned up at the main baker on Monday with a militia escort demanding money with menaces. The former bakery workers arrived accompanied by members of the Malaita Eagle Force, a militia involved in last year's coup d'etat, carrying bags in which they said were guns and demanding $SBD8000... ( gunpolicy.org )
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