Angola
23,444 Guns Seized from Civilians, Stored by Government, Angola Tells UN
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
17 July 2008
NEW YORK -- The Angolan government reiterated its commitment to fighting the proliferation of guns in society, thus having adopted practical and pragmatic measures aimed for the materialisation of the United Nations Action plan on this matter. Speaking at the 3rd Biennial Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons, happening on 14-18 July at UN headquarters, New York, the Angolan delegation advocated the need to improve small arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Mali, West Africa, Central Africa
Gun Running, Weapon Trafficking Worsen in West Africa, Central Africa
IRIN (UN News)
10 July 2008
BAMAKO/TIMBUKTU -- Mali has become an established transit route for weapons heading from West Africa's increasingly peaceful coastal states to active conflicts in West and Central Africa, an ECOWAS expert has warned. "There are two factors on the supply side - stabilisation in Cote d'Ivoire and in Guinea Conakry," said Jonathan Sandy, small arms programme manager with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Bamako,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Government Announces Forcible Disarming of Civilians in Angola
Angola Press Agency
7 July 2008
LUANDA -- Angolan Government announced that coercive disarming of civilians in illegal possession of firearms started in the country on Friday, Angop learned in Luanda. The announcement that included an appeal for those still in possession of firearms to voluntarily hand them in and thus avoid punishment, came at the end of a meeting of the National Commission for Civilians Disarming headed by the prime minister, Fernando da Piedade... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Citizens Voluntarily Hand Over 787 Guns Prior to 'Coercive Phase' in Angola
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
3 June 2008
SAURIMO -- About 787 firearms were handed over voluntarily, by citizens illegally owning them, to the National Police in the north-east Lunda Sul province since the beginning of the disarming process last April. According to the spokesperson of the provincial command of the Police in Lunda Sul, told ANGOP this Tuesday that the weapons were handed over in the districts of Saurimo with 440, Muconda with 136, Cacolo with 107 and Dala... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Gun Amnesty Collects 1,654 Illegal Firearms for Destruction in Angola
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
15 May 2008
UIGE -- Some 1,654 fire-arms of various types were handed over voluntarily, by citizens owning them illegally, to the National Police in the northern Uige Province, from April up to the present date, said Thursday the province's deputy governor for organisation and technical services, Miguel Cutoca. Speaking to ANGOP, Miguel Cutoca, who is also coordinator of the provincial commission for disarmament, said that during this period... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Illegal Guns Slow Angola's National Reconciliation: Disarmament the Answer
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 May 2008
MALANJE -- Northern Malanje Province governor Cristovao da Cunha on Monday here considered that the illegal possession of fire-arms can create constrains to the national reconciliation process among Angolans. The official was speaking at the opening of the provincial seminar on disarmament of civilians, having added that the illegal possession of weapons represents an individual and collective insecurity for Angolans. He... ( gunpolicy.org )
World, United States, France, Canada, Germany, Angola, Thailand, Australia, Colombia, South Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, United Kingdom, India, China
Guns Around the World: Civilian Firearms per 100 People in 16 Nations
Economist
30 April 2008
An estimated 875m small arms are in circulation worldwide: one for every seven people on the planet. Nearly three-quarters of these are owned by civilians. And about 80% of those guns in civilian hands are found in just 30 countries, according to the Small Arms Survey, a research group. Although America accounts for 40% of firearms in civilian ownership, people put them to more deadly use elsewhere. The gun murder rate in Colombia... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, China
Cargo of Chinese Guns, Ammunition Visits Namibia on Way to Zimbabwe
Namibian (Windhoek)
22 April 2008
A Chinese ship carrying six containers of ammunition for Zimbabwe has applied to take on fuel at Walvis Bay this morning. The An Yue Jiang is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades and more than 3 000 mortar rounds and mortar tubes. Attempts to get comment from Government yesterday were unsuccessful. Messages were left for Minister of Information, Joel Kaapanda, but he... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
China Says Ship Carrying Ammunition, Guns to Zimbabwe May Head Home
Associated Press
22 April 2008
HARARE, Zimbabwe -- A shipment of weapons to Zimbabwe may be returned to China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, after the troubled southern African nation's neighbors prevented the cargo from being unloaded. The Chinese freighter arrived in South Africa last week, and human rights groups and others said they feared the mortar grenades and bullets onboard could be used by President Robert Mugabe's regime to clamp down... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zambia
Chinese Ammunition 'Ship of Shame' Adrift in Southern African Controversy
IRIN (UN News)
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of a Chinese ship, laden with a cargo of small arms destined for Zimbabwe, after it was turned away from South Africa's port city of Durban. According to some reports, the 150-metre multipurpose cargo vessel, the An Yue Jiang - registered in China and one of 600 vessels owned by the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), dubbed by South African media as the "Ship... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, United States, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Gun Cargo Rejection 'Dramatic Turn' for Africa's Embrace of Zimbabwe
Washington Post
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG -- A Chinese ship carrying weapons and ammunition for Zimbabwe's military may be headed back home, reports said, after repeated attempts to deliver its cargo were frustrated by a coalition of legal activists, union workers and human rights groups. The region's resistance to the shipment, which drew praise from the United States on Tuesday, marks a dramatic turn from southern Africa's traditional embrace of Zimbabwe's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, China
Southern African Ports Shun Ship Carrying Guns to Zimbabwe; US Agrees
Los Angeles Times / Chicago Tribune
22 April 2008
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Public outcries have forced a rusty Chinese cargo ship to avoid South Africa, Mozambique and Angola, leaving it at sea Tuesday with 77 tons of munitions bound for Zimbabwe, where an election crisis has reportedly turned violent. The An Yue Jiang was carrying about 3 million rounds of Chinese ammunition, 1,500 rockets and 3,000 mortar shells. The State Department's top Africa envoy, who is to arrive... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, China
US Seeks to Block Zimbabwe-bound Chinese Ammunition, Gun Shipment
Associated Press
22 April 2008
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is intervening with governments in southern Africa to prevent a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe's security forces from unloading its cargo, The Associated Press has learned. At the same time, the State Department's top Africa hand, Jendayi Frazer, plans to visit the region this week to underscore U.S. concerns about the shipment. Frazer also will try to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbors... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Namibia
Zimbabwe Bristles at Southern Africa's Rejection of Guns, Ammo Cargo
News24 (Cape Town)
22 April 2008
HARARE -- Zimbabwe bristled at criticism for buying arms from China on Tuesday, as pressure mounted on its neighbours to keep a load of weapons from reaching their destination. China said a Chinese ship carrying the shipment might return home without offloading its cargo. The ship arrived in South Africa last week carrying Chinese weapons for landlocked Zimbabwe. South African human rights, union and others groups objected,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, China
South African Court, Unions, NGOs Block Guns, Ammo Cargo to Zimbabwe
Scotland on Sunday
20 April 2008
Dockyard workers in Africa are refusing to unload a Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe. The whereabouts of the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, were not known last night, although it was believed to be heading to Angola. Sources say the ship is carrying three million rounds of AK-47 ammunition along with 1,500 rocket-propelled grenades and several thousand mortar rounds. Dock workers in the region are expected to refuse... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa, Central Africa
UN Helps West and Central African Countries Fight Scourge of Illicit Guns
UN News Centre (New York), Media release
16 April 2008
A two-day United Nations conference seeking to help West and Central African nations bolster their abilities to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons kicks off tomorrow in Lomé, Togo. Held by the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa -- part of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs -- the gathering will assist countries' efforts to implement the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Another 668 Civilian Guns Voluntarily Surrendered for Destruction In Angola
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
14 April 2008
LUBANGO -- Six hundred and 68 firearms were handed over voluntarily by citizens, last March, to the command of the National Police in central Huíla province, in light of the process of disarming the civil population, underway in the country, ANGOP learnt from an official source. The assistant co-ordinator of the provincial sub-commission of disarmament, 1st superintendent Feliciano António explained at a press conference that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Italy, Libya, Chad, Sudan, China
Libya Tried to Buy 1 Million Chinese Assault Rifles, Perhaps for Chad, Sudan
Associated Press
13 April 2008
PERUGIA, Italy -- The Libyan officer tried to cloak the purpose of his call to the Italian arms dealer. "A friend," he said, wanted to buy 1 million "pieces" and 50 million items of "food." But when that phone call was placed in 2006, Italian police were listening. They knew the meaning. Libya was shopping for guns -- lots of them. Authorities shadowed the negotiations between Libyan officials and a group of black-market... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African Nations Begin to Mark, Register and Trace Legal Guns
Nation (Nairobi)
7 April 2008
Twelve African countries Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to the marking of all state-owned small arms and light weapons by end of this year. The Regional Centre on Small Arms (Recsa) deputy executive secretary ambassador Tharcisse Midonzi said the 12 countries from the Great Lakes region, East Africa and Horn of Africa had also agreed to maintain data bases to ease the tracing of small arms and light weapons. Mr Midonzi... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central, East African States Launch Gun Marking Scheme to Curb Trafficking
East African Standard (Nairobi)
2 April 2008
NAIROBI -- Kenya became the first country in the Great Lakes region and the Horn of Africa to mark its small arms and light weapons. During a symbolic ceremony that coincided with a regional workshop on small arms and light weapons marking and data management, equipment belonging to the Kenya Police was marked. An expert from South Africa, Mr Anthony Coetzee, marked a G-3 rifle and a Ceska pistol using a Marking Press Machine.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angolan Government, NGOs Warn Civilians to Surrender Their Illegal Guns
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 March 2008
LUANDA -- Every country, after going through an armed conflict, must proceed with the collection of weapons and ammunitions that are illegally under the possession of its citizens, as a means of guaranteeing stability and security of the population, as well as a reduction in crimes. The conclusion came from the International Workshop on the Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms, promoted from Tuesday to Wednesday by... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angolan Govt Will Disarm Civilians, Then Destroy or Recirculate Their Guns
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 March 2008
LUANDA -- The programme of disarming of civilians in illegal possession of weapons will take four phases, which will help outline consistent plans for a successful operation. This was said Wednesday in Luanda by the Home minister, Roberto Leal Monteiro "Ngongo", while addressing the closing of the two-day workshop on disarming of civilians in unlawful possession of firearms. According to the minister, the first phase will... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, Central Africa
Angola, UNDP Discuss Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
6 March 2008
LUANDA -- The co-ordinator of UNDP's Small Arms Control Programme in Central America, Miguel Barreiro Laredo Thursday considered positive the International Workshop on the Disarmament of Citizens Illegally Owning Firearms, held from March 04 to 05 in Luanda. Speaking to ANGOP at Luanda's "04 de Fevereiro" International Airport, on his way to Spain, Miguel Laredo said that during the event an important political desire was showed... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angola Presses Ahead with Campaign to Disarm Civilians, Seize Illegal Guns
Angola Press
4 March 2008
LUANDA -- An international workshop on the disarmament of citizens illegally owning firearms will be held from March 04 to 05, at the Palace of Congresses, in a promotion of the Angolan Home Affairs Ministry. The workshop will gather experts of Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Nicaragua, USA and England, who will share experiences about the implementation of disarmament programmes in various countries. The meeting... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Congolese Troops Collect, Destroy Surplus Guns, Ammunition, Explosives
IRIN (UN News)
28 February 2008
BRAZZAVILLE -- Armed forces in the Republic of Congo have begun to collect and destroy all weapons abandoned on battlegrounds in the country's civil war that began in 1997, as well as munitions that had expired but were still in armouries. The move follows President Denis Sassou Nguesso's declaration that 2008 would be "a year without illegal weapons in Congo". "Our duty is to collect and destroy all the equipment abandoned... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angola Debates Law to Disarm Citizens in Possession of Illegal Guns
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26 February 2008
LUANDA -- The Resolution Draft on the disarming of citizens in illegal possession of guns will be debated this Tuesday, by the National Assembly, ANGOP has learnt. The plenary session will also analyse the government's request for authorisation to legislate on updating the Customs Tariffs. The lawmakers will also debate the management of the public television (TPA)'s Channel 2, whose alleged privatisation has caused a great... ( gunpolicy.org )
Sudan, China, Chad, Austria
Guns, Grenade Launchers in Chad, Darfur Traced Back to China, Austria
Mother Jones (USA)
22 February 2008
My first glimpse into the flow of small arms into Darfur began at 4:45 on a February morning in 2006. The lights were off in the first-class Sudan Airways lounge at Khartoum International Airport. Sitting to my left was Abdallah, resplendent in white robes, sporting spectacles and a sharply trimmed goatee. Back then, Abdallah's younger brother, Mahamat Nour, was the leader of an 8,000-man rebel force sworn to overthrow the government of... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
UN Experts Call for Increased Monitoring of Gun-running to Congo, Africa
UN News Service (New York)
19 February 2008
The Group of Experts dealing with illegal arms flows into and around the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has called for the strengthening of the monitoring capacity of the United Nations Mission in the vast African nation. In recommendations in its report that was made public today, the five-member panel urged that the mission, known as MONUC, should be notified of "all incoming shipments of military supplies in a timely... ( 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 )
Namibia, Angola, Southern Africa
Police Destroy 3 Tonnes of Illegal Firearms, Ammunition in Southern Africa
Namibian (Windhoek)
26 November 2007
WINDHOEK -- Three tonnes of illegal firearms and ammunition collected during a joint police operation in northern Namibia and south Angola were destroyed in the desert near Walvis Bay on Friday. According to the operation's co-ordinator, Oshana Regional Police Commander Ndahangapo Kashihakumwa, Operation Mandume was the first operation of its kind and magnitude in Namibia and involved the police of Namibia, Angola and South Africa.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Burundi, Congo (DRC), United Nations, World
Burundi Massacre Reminds World of the Need for a Global Gun Trade Treaty
Nation (Nairobi), Opinion
17 August 2007
The events that happened exactly three years ago on that date will always haunt me. I was accustomed to starting the day with the morning radio bulletin -- which rarely bore good tidings in Burundi where I was working at the time -- but nothing prepared me for the bloody events that had occurred during the night. One hundred and fifty six refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly women and children, including a three-month-old... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, United States, Africa
US Embassy in Angola Hosts 'Million Weapons' Gun Destruction Day
Angola Press Agency
9 July 2007
LUANDA -- Angola's main ceremony to commemorate the International Guns Destruction Day, marked on 09 July, will be held this Monday in the premises of the United States Embassy in Luanda. The event will commemorate the destruction of a millionth weapons under the North American assistance programme, through which one million arms have already been destroyed worldwide. The symbolic ceremony will take place in six countries... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), United States, United Nations, Africa
US Funds Destruction of a Million Guns, Weapons on 4 Continents [Francais]
Le Potentiel (Kinshasa)
9 July 2007
[Translated summary: The US State Department celebrates UN-led, American-funded small arms destruction programmes which have destroyed almost a million weapons around the world]. KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- Pour commémorer les programmes d'aide américains qui ont permis la destruction cumulative de près d'un million d'armes à travers le monde, les Etats-Unis et six autres pays observeront la journée internationale... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, United States
US Govt Paid to Destroy Over 600 Tonnes of Guns, Ammunition in Angola
Angola Press Agency
9 July 2007
LUANDA -- More than 327 small arms and 281 tons of unexploded ordnance were destroyed in Angola over the last 12 months, Angop learned Monday in Luanda. The information was supplied by the trade attache of the US embassy to Angola, Francisco Fernandez. The diplomat was addressing the opening of the ceremony of symbolic destruction of the millionth arm, as part of a programme of US assistance that has so far led to the scrapping... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, United States, Africa
Angola Hails Millionth Weapon Destroyed in US-funded Gun Burn [Francais]
Angola Press
8 July 2007
[Translated summary: US Embassy in Angola celebrates the one millionth small arm destroyed under a US-funded global United Nations weapon destruction programme]. LUANDA -- Une cérémonie dédiée à la journée du 09 juillet, proclamée comme Journée de la destruction des armes légères et petit calibre se réalisera lundi, à Luanda, aux installations de l'Ambassade des Etats-Unis en Angola. L'acte vise à commémorer... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Illegal Guns Could Threaten Elections in Republic of Congo
IRIN (UN News)
2 April 2007
BRAZZAVILLE -- Large numbers of illegally-held small arms remain in circulation in the Republic of Congo posing a security risk to the central African country which has been plagued by conflicts in the recent past, officials said at a meeting convened to discuss the problem. "Illegally-held arms remain one of the country's main problems," said defence minister Gen. Jacques Yvon Ndolou, at the meeting organised last week by the United... ( gunpolicy.org )
Niger, Nigeria, Chad
Chad, Niger, Nigeria Address Global Scourge of Gun Trafficking
IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
7 March 2007
ABIDJAN -- Five years after the end of rebel wars in Niger, the presence of small arms in that country and over the border In Nigeria and Chad, continues to threaten the welfare of millions of people. Freeing a former conflict zone of such weapons is the aim of a pilot project under way in southeastern Niger. However, to ensure long-term success, similar initiatives with a more regional focus may be needed. The destruction of 103... ( gunpolicy.org )
East Africa, Central Africa
Continuing Concern in East, Central Africa Over Guns in the Wrong Hands
Reporter (Addis Ababa)
3 March 2007
ADDIS ABABA -- The control of international transfers of small arms and light weapons is at the centre of the global agenda for combating the proliferation of such arms. The nature of small arms and light weapons, their characteristics as well as the sheer number or global stock, and the range of actors that undertake commercial activities with them, makes it particularly difficult to control the movement of the arms not only within... ( gunpolicy.org )
East Africa, Central Africa
East African, Central African Nations Meet to Curb Global Gun Trade
Reporter (Addis Ababa)
3 March 2007
ADDIS ABABA -- Parliamentarians from member states signatory to the Nairobi Protocol, National Focal Point (NFP) coordinators, the East African community secretariat and related partners, attended the second regional parliamentary forum on "The implementation of the Nairobi protocol for the prevention, control and reduction of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa." The forum was organized... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Japan Funds Republic of Congo's Gun Retrieval, Disarmament Agency
IRIN (UN News)
28 February 2007
BRAZZAVILLE -- The Japanese government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed an agreement whereby Tokyo will provide a US$2 million grant to help the Republic of Congo's gun retrieval agency carry out its mandate. Some of the money will also support efforts to reintegrate former militiamen into society. "PCAD [the Project for the Collection of Weapons, known by its French acronym], which lies within... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Congo-Brazzaville Rail Disruptions Halt Gun Retrieval Scheme
IRIN (UN News)
23 November 2006
BRAZZAVILLE -- A gun-retrieval effort launched in November 2005 in the Republic of Congo has been suspended because the agency involved has run into transport difficulties, an official of the government body said. Daniel Gassiélé said on Wednesday the state-owned railway company had been unable to buy equipment for the smooth running of its trains. Heavy rains have also been battering the country, severely disrupting rail traffic.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Chad
Chad Orders Clampdown on Illegal Guns as Ethnic Violence Flares
Reuters
14 November 2006
N'DJAMENA -- Chad imposed a crackdown on illegal firearms on Tuesday as a state of emergency took effect to curb ethnic violence that has killed hundreds of people and fuelled calls to send international peacekeepers to the region. Chad's government imposed a state of emergency from midnight on Monday across large swathes of the central African country, including eastern zones where attacks on villages by armed raiders on horseback... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), Russia
Russian Gun Runner Viktor Bout Denies Trafficking Arms to Congo
Moscow News
4 November 2006
Russian businessman Viktor Bout denied Wednesday a U.S. accusation that he was involved in weapons deliveries to the Democratic Republic of Congo, RIA Novosti reported. On Tuesday, U.S President George Bush issued an executive order blocking the assets of seven individuals, including general Laurent Nkunda and Russian businessman Viktor Bout, Reuters reported. The said individuals are being accused of impeding disarmament activities,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), United Nations
Congo Rebels Use Guns, Bullets from South Africa, US, China, Russia
Sunday Times (South Africa) / AFP
16 October 2006
LONDON -- Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are fighting with bullets and small arms from South Africa, the USA, Greece, China, Russia and Serbia despite a UN and other embargos, a report said on Monday. The Control Arms Campaign report did not suggest that firms in these countries were violating a UN arms embargo imposed in 2003, but suggested the equipment was being diverted to the DRC from third countries. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), United States, World
Global Gun Trade Chart Published in New York Times
New York Times, Opinion
5 September 2006
Despite the presence of the world's largest peacekeeping mission, the Democratic Republic of Congo remains in the grip of civil war. The reason is clear. A flood of small arms and light weapons undermines the 17,000 United Nations troops' mandate to protect civilians. In this country where war has raged since 1998, the results of the uncontrolled small arms trade have been brutish, but they have not been unique. Similar devastation... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
30,000 Ex-Fighters in Congo (DRC) Ready to Give Up Guns, Reintegrate
IRIN (UN News)
31 August 2006
BRAZZAVILLE -- Civil-war veteran Olivier Ngouebo, 39, has had enough of war after the bitter experiences of fighting in his home region of Niari between 1998 and 1999 and again in 2002. "It is time for me to take care of myself and my children," he said recently in Dolisie, capital of Niari Department, about 370 km southwest of the Republic of Congo's capital, Brazzaville. Rather than walk the streets aimlessly or resort... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
'Guns for Bikes' Swap Scheme More Successful than UN Congo Campaign
BBC News
14 July 2006
A scheme under which gunmen in the Democratic Republic of Congo are given bicycles in exchange for their weapons is being extended due to its success. Ngoy Mulunda, a pastor in the south-eastern Katanga region, says he has been given some 6,500 weapons in the past year, which he has destroyed. The programme is now being extended to the neighbouring South Kivu province. A BBC correspondent says it has proved more... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
At Inter-Parliamentary Union, Angola Reaffirms Fight Against Gun Trade
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
8 May 2006
LUANDA -- Member of Angolan Parliament Ventura de Azevedo on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya said that the National Assembly supports the efforts of the International Community towards the prevention and elimination of the illegal trading of light and small weapons. Mr de Azevedo was speaking during the discussion in the Peace and Security Commission of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), under the theme "The role of Parliaments in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, East Africa, Central Africa
Central and East African Protocol on Small Arms Now Legally Binding
East African (Nairobi)
8 May 2006
Q: What will this centre do to curb proliferation of small arms in the region? A: As long as there are conflicts, there will always be demands for small arms. What we want is to co-ordinate the activities aimed at eradicating the proliferation of small arms. We want to sensitise institutions such as police agencies, the African Union, the United Nations and IGAD to create structures and programmes to deal with the problem of small... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kenya, Uganda, East Africa, Central Africa
Central and East African Nations Cross Milestone in War on Gun Violence
Nation (Nairobi)
5 May 2006
Agreement on illegal arms crackdown in Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region set to come into force today as 12 countries join hands to promote peace and fight criminals The crackdown on illegal guns in the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa is set to enter a critical phase today when the Nairobi protocol for the prevention, control and reduction of small arms and light weapons comes into force. The birth of the treaty... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda, Congo (DRC)
Uganda Blocking Small Arms, Ammunition Investigations, Says UN
Monitor (Kampala)
4 April 2006
KAMPALA -- A United Nations Security Council team established to monitor an arms embargo on the DR Congo has accused Uganda of refusing to honour its repeated requests for information on its arms deals. The requests include allowing the UN team access to the national arms factory at Nakasongola. The government, has however, said it has nothing to hide and is fully cooperating. The Group of Experts which was set up in... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola, West Africa
Experts Endorse Draft Small Arms Convention for West Africa
Xinhua
14 March 2006
West Africa's economic bloc ECOWAS said Monday independent experts from Africa, Europe and the United States had endorsed a draft convention for the sub-region to check the menace of small arms and light weapons after a two-day meeting in Nigeria. The draft convention will replace the eight-year-old regional Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons, which was signed by regional leaders... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Easy Access to Guns a Concern as Angolan Election Nears
IRIN (UN News)
13 March 2006
LUANDA -- Gunfire regularly reverberates these days around Angola's capital, Luanda, something that rarely happened during almost three decades of vicious civil war. Despite four years of peace, volleys of bullets are interrupting life in the capital and alarming its residents. As the prospect of the country's first peacetime elections draws nearer -- either this year or in 2007 -- so do the fears about the number of small arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Uganda, East Africa, Central Africa
Great Lakes Countries Meet to Plan Destruction of Firearms
Monitor (Kampala)
6 February 2006
KAMPALA -- Countries in the Great Lakes Region must make a concerted effort to join civil societies in fighting the proliferation of small arms in the area, members of the Eastern Africa Action Network on Small Arms said on Friday. They said small firearms pose a major threat to public safety by encouraging crime and fuelling violence. "Small arms and light weapons like assault rifles are in hands of many wrong elements... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Angolans Hand Over Guns, as Population Returns to Peace
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
3 February 2006
NAMIBE -- The residents of Bibala municipality, 160 kilometres north off Namibe city, handed over voluntarily to the administrative authorities of the locality from October 2005 to January this year, about 456 guns as part of the population disarmament process. Bibala municipality administrator, João Ernesto dos Santos, revealed the fact to ANGOP, saying that the disarmament process is taking place smoothly, because the population... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Nations, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Congo (DRC), World
Arms Trade Controls Have Failed to Protect Civilians, Say Surveys
Agence France Presse
8 January 2006
NEW YORK -- Existing small arms trade controls have failed to protect innocent civilians and must be drastically tightened, according to three surveys on the human cost of arms transfers to Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone. The reports were issued by the Control Arms Campaign as the United Nations was set to kick off its first major review of small arms controls in five years. The Campaign,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
World Bank Grant to Help Disarm 30,000 Congolese Ex-Fighters
IRIN (UN News)
4 January 2006
BRAZZAVILLE -- The World Bank and the Republic of Congo (ROC) have signed an agreement for a US $17-million grant to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate 30,000 former combatants in the country. The agreement, signed on Tuesday in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, falls $8 million short of the $25 million request the ROC made to the bank in February 2005, under the framework of the Multi-country Programme for Demobilisation and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi
Central African MPs Discuss Regional Illicit Small Arms Legislation
New Times (Kigali)
13 November 2005
Members of Parliament from Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo met November 2-4 in the DRC and discussed the establishment of laws to curb the illegal trafficking and use of small arms in the region. Presenting a report to the Lower Chamber of Parliament, the head of the Rwandan delegation that attended the meeting Deputy Sam Kanyemera Kaka, enumerated the reasons that had led to a delay in drafting the law. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), United Nations, Uganda
UN Mission Warns of Sanctions If Guns Not Surrendered, Destroyed
IRIN (UN News)
9 November 2005
ENTEBBE, Uganda -- A UN Security Council mission arrived in Uganda on Wednesday and told reporters that the UN would increase pressure on illegal armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "Sanctions will be imposed against armed groups that refuse to disarm," said the head of the mission, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, who is also the French ambassador to the UN. The mission began a 10-day tour of the Great Lakes... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Tighter Gun Control on Southern African Borders
Independent (South Africa)
30 September 2005
Twenty-six police members of Southern African Development Community member countries have completed special training in the cross-border control of illegal firearms and ammunition. The group received their certificates of competence on Friday after completing a month-long course, the SA Police Service said in a statement. The training was aimed at equipping police members to take part in exercises to combat and eradicate... ( gunpolicy.org )
Rwanda, Uganda, Congo (DRC)
Rwanda, Uganda Refute UN Report on Arms to DRC
IRIN (UN News)
28 July 2005
KAMPALA-KIGALI -- Uganda and Rwanda have denied statements contained in a report issued on Wednesday by the UN Security Council that the two countries had delayed to give information to officials monitoring arms sanctions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "We have not delayed anything," Uganda's foreign minister, Sam Kuteesa told IRIN on Thursday. "What we have done is to give them information whenever they ask for it."... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Disarmament, Reintegration Extends to the Northwest
IRIN (UN News)
8 July 2005
BANGUI -- Ex-combatants began voluntarily handing over their weapons to UN and government officials on Friday in the Central African Republic's northwestern district of Nana-Grébizi. The measure is part of a nationwide effort begun on 18 June to disarm and reintegrate thousands of ex-combatant into civilian life. "If there's a gap between the disarmament and the start of reintegration, the ex-combatants will loose confidence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Global Arms Dealers Still Fuel Congo Unrest, Says Report
Reuters
5 July 2005
KINSHASA -- Weapons and ammunition shipped by a web of international arms traffickers are fuelling killings and torture by militia groups in eastern Congo, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. Amnesty said brokers and transporters from countries including the United States, Britain, Israel and Russia were involved in supplying arms to governments around Africa's Great Lakes region, who were then passing them on to the militias.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Congo's Battle With Disarmament
BBC News
9 June 2005
The population of Bunia, the main town in Ituri district in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been through hell. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in recent years, but at least some of the guns are now being put down. United Nations peacekeepers from countries as diverse as Bangladesh and Morocco patrol this busy trading centre close to the Ugandan border and there is also a small presence... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Congo Looting Keeps East Awash in Guns
Reuters
3 March 2005
BUNIA, Congo -- "I will die in Congo," the Nigerian businessman declared. "I make so much money, I can never leave!" he explained. His Ukrainian colleague grinned in agreement. It was 2003, and the young African trader was explaining to visitors why he had braved east Congo's violence to develop a local trading firm with European and Congolese partners. Two years on, and Congolese here say there has been no let... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Congo Buy-back Swaps 500 Guns for Bikes
Agence France Presse
18 February 2005
KINSHASA -- More than 500 firearms were officially handed over on Thursday as part of a modern swords-into-plowshares programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In an attempt to stem endemic violence in the remote Katanga region, the guns were traded for bicycles during a week last month by a non-government organisation called Parec. The reverend Ngoy Mulunda, president of the organisation, says he intends to stage... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Civilians Surrender Over 1,200 Firearms
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
15 January 2005
At least 1,233 firearms and 1,086 Akm rifle loaders were voluntarily surrendered by civilians in Angola's central Huambo province in 2004, to the local headquarters of the National Police. The information is contained in a note released to Angop by the Police Command that says that another 35 AK-Czech, 19 Pkm, 14 grenade launchers, tree mini-uzi and 59 RPK, were surrendered. According to the source, the operation recorded... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Official Explains UNDP's Role in Disarmament Process
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
20 April 2004
BANGUI -- The UN Development Programme (UNDP), through its Small Arms and Demobilisation Unit, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, will assist the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) to disarm, demobilise and reintegrate former combatants, an official told IRIN. UNDP Weapons and Ammunition Disposal Specialist Remi Vezina, who was on a two-week mission to the CAR, said on Saturday that the UN agency's assistance... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Plan to Disarm Civilians
IRIN (UN) News
19 March 2004
JOHANNESBURG -- The Angolan government is considering a three-phase voluntary plan to disarm civilians, local media reported on Thursday. Jose Alfredo Ekuikui, Commander General of the national police, was quoted as saying the plan would involve an assessment of the number and location of weapons in the hands of civilians, an awareness programme, and setting up posts for the voluntary handover of arms. He also said that... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Focus on Disarmed Women
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
8 March 2004
BANGUI -- The Central African Republic (CAR) had enjoyed relative stability for about 35 years after its independence when in 1996 it suddenly plunged into a series of conflicts that has since left it reeling in underdevelopment and its population in despair. These conflicts started with army mutinies against President Ange-Felix Patasse and ended with his outster on 15 March 2003. During the mutinies the country was littered... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Government Approves UN Agency's Disarmament Proposal
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
10 February 2004
BANGUI, Central African Republic -- The government of the Central African Republic (CAR) has approved a US $13-million disarmament, demobilisation and reinsertion (DDR) programme, proposed by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), targeting some 7,565 former combatants. "The proposal is in perfect harmony with its [the government's] defence and security policy," the government, the UNDP and the Multi-country Disarmament, Reinsertion... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Home Minister Defends Disarming of Civilians
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
25 October 2003
BENGUELA -- Angolan home minister Osvaldo de Jesus Serra Van-Dúnen today in Benguela considered the disarming of civilians as a relevant factor for the consolidation of peace in view of the country's new reality. Speaking to journalists at the beginning of a three-day visit to central Benguela province that coincided with the opening of the National Civilians Disarming Week, the minister appealed for citizens' good sense in understanding... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Congo Needs Disarming
Reuters
26 August 2003
The proliferation of small arms and armed violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo have had a devastating effect on public health, argue Robert Muggah, a fellow of the New York-based Social Science Research Council and a senior researcher at the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, and Nicholas Florquin, a researcher at the Small Arms Survey. Without a sustained and strategic multinational effort to effectively disarm competing factions,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Civilians Should Be Disarmed, Says Survey
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
22 August 2003
LUANDA, Angola -- A survey on the disarming of civilians in Angola released today in Luanda shows that people are concerned about the proliferation of firearms in the country and defend a nationwide sensitising programme for the success of the operation. Jointly conducted by Angolan/2000 NGO and its South Africa-based "SaferÁfrica" counterpart, the study indicates that unlawful possession and use of firearms constitutes a threat... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
MONUC Deplores Arms Trafficking in Northeast
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
25 July 2003
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The UN on Friday denounced the trafficking of arms in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following the seizure of a cache of munitions in Beni on Thursday by the Rassemblement congolais pour la democratie-Kisangani/Mouvement de liberation (RCD-K/ML), who turned them over to the UN Mission in the DRC, known as MONUC. MONUC said it would transport the munitions to Lubero, some 50 km south of Beni,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Central African Republic
Government to Train 220 Men After Arms Surrender
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
22 July 2003
BANGUI, CAR -- The government of the Central African Republic (CAR), with the support of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), will begin on 30 July vocational training for 220 men who surrendered firearms between 15 June 2002 and 15 March 2003. The head of the government's programme on disarmament, the Programme National de Desarmement et de Reinsertion, Harouna Dan Malam, told IRIN on Monday that 35 million francs CFA (US $62,756)... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Disarmament Campaign Needs Funding Urgently - UN
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
15 May 2003
BRAZZAVILLE, Congo -- Disarming militias remains a large problem in the Republic of Congo (ROC), and a nationwide programme of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration is essential in the fight against the trafficking of small arms, a government report recommended. The report was presented to a regional seminar on the implementation of a UN action plan to eliminate the illegal trafficking of small arms, which concluded in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
Militias Armed By Leftover Ugandan Weapons - UN
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
15 May 2003
KINSHASA -- Departing Ugandan troops left behind weapons which were seized by militias fighting in Bunia, the principal town of Ituri district in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said on Wednesday. Uganda has strongly denied the claim. Amos Namanga Ngongi, special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the DRC, said that Ugandan officers had left behind military materiel. "On the ground,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Government Steps Up Efforts to Disarm Civilians
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
2 April 2003
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Angola has set up a commission to explore ways of disarming the civilian population, a senior police official said on Wednesday. The new initiative follows the failure of an earlier disarmament programme which yielded less than 10 percent of the weapons believed to be in circulation. While there is no independent confirmation of exactly how many guns are in the hands of individuals, officials... ( gunpolicy.org )
Chad
Chadian Troops Recover 1,300 Firearms in Bangui
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
25 March 2003
BANGUI, Chad -- The 100 Chadian troops who arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Wednesday have recovered 1,300 firearms and 270 vehicles in a disarmament campaign. The Chadian ambassador, Maitile Djoumbe, handed over the recovered weapons on Monday to the CAR chief of staff, Antoine Gambi, the spokesman of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) force, Augustin Bibaye, told IRIN on Tuesday.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC)
DRC: Focus on the Proliferation of Small Arms in Northeast
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
11 March 2003
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Africa's Great Lakes region is awash with small arms and no place more so than northeastern DRC, where traffickers are doing brisk business to the detriment of millions of peoples, three Kinshasa-based researchers commissioned by the NGO Pax Christi/Netherlands say in a preliminary report. The report titled "Proliferation and Illicit Traffic of Small Arms and Light Weapons in the Northeast of the DRC" was issued... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Minister Tells People to Hand in Guns to Police Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
28 February 2003
LUANDA, Angola -- Angolan interior minister Oswaldo Serra Van-Dunem Friday called on the population to volunteer with surrendering the guns in their possession to police authorities. "Guns in the possession of the population which served for self-defence during war must be handed in at police stations so as to avoid all possible evils which may emerge from holding them", the minister said as he addressed the celebrations of the 27th anniversary... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Proliferation of Illegal Civilian Guns Could Lead to Increased Crime in Angola
IRIN (UN News)
7 February 2003
JOHANNESBURG -- The widespread availability of small arms among Angolan civilians could give rise to an increase in crime and banditry, analysts said on Friday. "While it is unlikely that these small arms constitute a threat to the current peace process or political stability in the country, there is obviously concern for the safety of civilians. We could see the weapons used in robberies and banditry at the local level within communities,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (ROC)
Gangs Swap Guns for Make-Up
South African Press Association / AP
28 January 2002
BRAZZAVILLE, Congo -- For three years, Auguste Mbongo fought with the Cobras, one of the militias that would shell crowded neighbourhoods and shoot people just for being ethnically different during two devastating civil wars. Bodies rotted in the streets of the central African country, the living too frightened to come out and bury them. Rape and looting were routine. Today, however, Mbongo is in cosmetics. At... ( gunpolicy.org )
Africa, Congo (DRC)
The Destruction of Africa
Chicago Tribune
29 December 2001
BENI, Congo -- Grace Ikombi's gun is much like 35 million other Kalashnikov rifles in circulation around the world. For all its deadliness, it is an oddly toy-like weapon. Brute simple, with only nine moving parts, it weighs just 10½ pounds. Yet it can empty a 30-round magazine in three seconds, and is powerful enough to punch holes through a man's chest from 1,000 yards away. Ikombi's gun was built for use against NATO troops... ( gunpolicy.org )
Angola
Despite Embargo, Angola Awash in Guns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Georgia)
8 July 2001
KUITO, Angola -- Cecilia Namutumbo is 5 years old. She has no parents, she's missing one leg, and she is in a rehabilitation center in the bombed-out Angolan city of Kuito all alone. She spots a stranger. Using her prosthetic leg with remarkable dexterity, she starts to show off by demonstrating how well she can walk. She lost her leg when she took a bullet in the knee. Her mother and father were killed in the same attack.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Congo (DRC), Somalia, Tanzania
Gun Trafficking by Refugees on Lake Victoria Rampant
Xinhua
19 February 2001
DAR ES SALAAM -- Weapon trafficking by armed refugees runs rampant on many islands on Lake Victoria in East Africa, local newspapers reported Monday. Fishermen and fishmongers along the lake revealed that for the last three years refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi and Rwanda have been selling guns and pistols at low prices. A fisherman in Mwanza in northern Tanzania was quoted as saying that... ( gunpolicy.org )
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