Pézard, Stéphanie and Nicolas Florquin. 2007 ‘Disarmament of the Peace Guardians and the Militant Combatants.’ Small Arms in Burundi: Disarming the Civilian Population in Peacetime, pp. 65-66. Geneva: Small Arms Survey, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva / Ligue Iteka. 1 August

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The Disarmament of the Peace Guardians and the Militant Combatants

As with the ex-combatants, it was not necessary to hand over a weapon to obtain BIF 100,000 (USD 100) in compensation, mainly because it was common knowledge that not all militiamen had received arms.

By 22 September 2005, a total of 154 arms (including 34 grenades) had been collected for 1,326 demobilised Peace Guardians and 1,203 Militant Combatants, which represents a ratio of 1 arm to 16 combatants. A third calculation for the month of February 2006 alone gives a similar ratio (1 weapon for 17 combatants), with a total of 342 arms collected for 5,792 registered Peace Guardians and Militant Combatants.

Almost three-quarters of the weapons returned by this date were AK-47 assault rifles (73 % of the total), followed by Simonov rifles (13%), grenades (8%), and FAL assault rifles (1.5%).

It should be noted, however, that the numbers of arms cited here come from observations made by UNOB, which was not directly involved in the dismantling or disarmament of the militias. According to government figures, 1,323 rifles had been collected by 25 July 2006, of which 68 were handmade, 245 were grenades, and 2 mines, suggesting an approximate ratio of 1 weapon for 18 combatants.

[BIF = Burundese francs; UNOB = United Nations Office in Burundi]

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