Firearm News
West Africa,Ghana,Côte d'Ivoire,Nigeria,Mali,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone
Homemade Firearms Fuel Conflict in West Africa
18 October 2017
ENACT Observer
The trafficking and illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is often discussed in the context of fuelling instability and insecurity in West Africa. Rarely, however, do these conversations give appropriate attention to the issue of locally manufactured weapons.
The production of firearms by local artisans is not new to the region. It has existed in many countries (e.g. Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ENACT Observer
40464
Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire Has Added Markings to 99% of Police Guns [FR]
15 June 2016
Amnesty International (France), Media release
[Translated summary: Under the Arms Trade Treaty, the states of West Africa have improved their firearm stock management. Now every gun is marked with a code that shows where it comes from. Also, every time a gun enters or leaves an armoury, the code allows officials to know who gave the order and why. Now, the National Police of Côte d'Ivoire has marked 99% of its guns.]
Après deux décennies de crises, la Côte d'Ivoire est aux avant-postes de la lutte contre la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (France)
39545
Côte d'Ivoire
Ceremony to Destroy 8,000 Guns in Côte D'Ivoire [FR]
9 April 2016
L'Infodrome (Côte d'Ivoire)
[Translated summary: The National Police School of Abidjan has organised a ceremony where they marked and destroyed small arms and light weapons. 26,324 guns have been marked; among these, 8,000 have been destroyed along with 6,336 rounds of ammunition.]
Une importante cérémonie de marquage et de destruction d'armes légères de petit calibre a eu lieu, jeudi 7 avril, à l'Ecole nationale de police d'Abidjan.
Organisée par le Comité de lutte contre la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: L'Infodrome (Côte d'Ivoire)
39082
Côte d'Ivoire
Mass Shooting at Côte d'Ivoire Beach Resort
13 March 2016
Local (France), Agence France Presse
Heavily armed gunmen opened fire Sunday at a hotel in the Côte d'Ivoire beach resort of Grand-Bassam which is popular with Westerners, witnesses told AFP.
The assailants, who were "heavily armed and wearing balaclavas, fired at guests at the L'Etoile du Sud (Southern Star), a large hotel which was full of expats in the current heatwave," a witness told AFP.
It was not immediately known how many people had been killed or injured or who was behind the shooting in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Local (France), Agence France Presse
38960
Côte d'Ivoire,Togo,Mali,Ghana
Small Arms Commission Begins Nationwide Marking of Weapons in Ghana
19 March 2014
Ghana Web
The National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons has begun a nationwide exercise to mark all weapons of the various security agencies.
The exercise which started with the military will be extended to other security agencies such as the Police, prisons, immigration and the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).
The marking of weapons involves a systematic embossment of unique identification numbers on firearms to make them easily identifiable and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ghana Web
38477
Iraq,Syria,Israel,India,Ireland,Togo,Canada,United States,Afghanistan,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Sri Lanka,Germany,Russia
Growing Number of Personalised Firearms to Boost Safety Available
30 November 2013
Economist
To help push Soviet forces out of Afghanistan in the 1980s, America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) gave Afghan fighters shoulder-launched Stinger anti-aircraft missiles (pictured). Accurate and easy-to-use, the Stingers caused grievous losses. But after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, the CIA wanted to discourage the use of the leftover missiles. It got hold of some of those circulating on the black market and booby-trapped them, so that anyone who tried to fire one... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
38133
Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia
Liberia Hosts Small Arms Workshop to Address Gun Trafficking
4 October 2013
New Democrat (Monvoria)
The Liberia National Commission on Small Arms (LiNCSA) will on October 8 embark on a week-long consultative workshop on arms control in three southeastern counties including River Gee, Maryland and Grand Gedeh Counties.
The workshop which is being funded by the ECOWAS Commission will target border communities along the Liberian-Ivorian border within the three counties as well as security officers assigned at these border points. A statement from the Liberia National... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Democrat (Monvoria)
37961
Côte d'Ivoire,West Africa
Cote D'Ivoire to Mark Weapons for Arms Control
28 May 2013
Global Times (China)
Cote d'Ivoire's National Commission for Fighting Against Proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (COMNAT-ALPC) on Monday said authorities plan to mark all weapons used by security forces for arms control.
The COMNAT-ALPC under-secretary, Leon Djokouehi, told reporters in Abidjan that the marking of the weapons will enable authorities to identify all the arms in circulation and their holders to prevent proliferation.
"When we decide to mark a weapon, it's treated... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Global Times (China)
37492
Poland,Ukraine,Israel,Côte d'Ivoire,Bulgaria,Belarus,China,Angola,Russia
Guns Easily Available in Côte D'Ivoire Despite Embargo
16 April 2013
IRIN (UN News)
ABIDJAN - Côte d'Ivoire's recent turbulence - including the ouster of president Henri Konan Bédié in 1999, a long-running insurgency and deadly poll unrest in 2011 - has left the country awash in arms, which have contributed to human rights abuses, widespread crime and persistent insecurity.
Two years after coming to power in 2000, Laurent Gbagbo's administration faced an army mutiny, which morphed into a full-scale rebellion. In response, the government underwent a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
37347
Romania,Burkina Faso,Poland,Russia,Latvia,Tunisia,Guinea,Senegal,Bulgaria,China,Africa,Europe,Côte d'Ivoire
Arms Proliferation and Abuse Shatter Communities in Côte d'Ivoire - AI
20 March 2013
Amnesty International (London)
Reckless and illegal arms supplies from Europe, Africa and China to the warring parties in Côte d'Ivoire over the past decade continue to fuel grave human rights abuses and violent crime in the country, Amnesty International said in a detailed report launched at the United Nations (UN) headquarters.
The 33-page report, Communities shattered by arms proliferation and abuse in Côte d'Ivoire, documents how a handful of states and a network of multinational arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
37206
Europe,China,Asia,Americas,Oceania,Kenya,Cuba,Côte d'Ivoire,Africa,Central America,Russia,United States
Women Explain Why an Arms Trade Treaty Can Save Many Lives
7 March 2013
Amnesty International (London), Media release
It is estimated at least half a million people are killed with guns every year and on average a further 200,000 men, women and children die as an indirect result of armed conflicts and violence that are frequently fuelled by the uncontrolled flow of small arms.
And for every person that is killed in an armed conflict, many more are injured and tortured, raped, abused, forcibly disappeared, taken hostage or displaced. Even more have their access to food, water, shelter,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
37175
Côte d'Ivoire,Ghana
Ghana Officials say Guns from Cote D'Ivoire, Offer Rewards
21 February 2013
Ghanaian Chronicle
The Bawku Divisional Police Commander, ACP Kweku Buadu-Pepra, says most the sophisticated weapons in Bawku came from neighbouring Cote d' Ivoire during the election conflict that erupted in that country in 2002.
The Bawku Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) recently announced a monetary reward package of GHA¢3,000 for anyone with credible information that could lead to the security agencies retrieving weapons from civilians in the area.
The package also included... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ghanaian Chronicle
37099
China,Africa,Côte d'Ivoire,Somalia,Angola,South Africa,Sudan,Zimbabwe,Kenya
Unknown Quantities of Chinese Arms in Africa a Concern
21 February 2013
Star (Kenya), Opinion
Much is being written and said in the media and academic circles about China's increasing engagement with Africa on many economic and other fronts.
Some see this as benefiting Africa; others as detrimental to the real needs of African countries and peoples. Some critics have used phrases like "the second scramble for Africa" and "re-colonization of Africa" to describe the new development. The debate goes on.
Yet, there is one subject that has not received the serious... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Star (Kenya)
37098
Czech Republic,Hungary,Côte d'Ivoire,Iran,Guinea,Niger,Russia,South Sudan,China,Uganda,Afghanistan,Nigeria,Kenya,Iraq,Congo (DRC)
Trail of Bullet Casings Leads from Africa's Wars Back to Iran
11 January 2013
New York Times
The first clues appeared in Kenya, Uganda and what is now South Sudan. A British arms researcher surveying ammunition used by government forces and civilian militias in 2006 found Kalashnikov rifle cartridges he had not seen before. The ammunition bore no factory code, suggesting that its manufacturer hoped to avoid detection.
Within two years other researchers were finding identical cartridges circulating through the ethnic violence in Darfur. Similar ammunition then... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
36931
Somalia,South Africa,Côte d'Ivoire,Sudan,Zimbabwe,United States,China
China 'Aggressively' Supplying Africa With Guns, Military Equipment
28 November 2012
Global Post (Boston)
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — China's aggressive new strategy to sell weapons in Africa was on clear display at a recent defense exposition here.
The pavilion for Chinese manufacturers was among the three largest at the Africa Aerospace and Defense exhibition in September, surpassed only by host South Africa and the United States, the world's largest weapons maker by far.
Many of the made-in-China weapons touted by firms such as Norinco and Poly Technologies were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Global Post (Boston)
36790
Côte d'Ivoire
Gangs Can 'Hire' Assault Weapons in Ivory Coast
7 August 2012
Radio Netherlands
Keen to hire a Kalashnikov for the day? In a dangerous legacy of years of conflict, Ivory Coast's economic capital is now the hub of a thriving trade in automatic weapons for the criminal underworld.
"The 'Kalash' rules the streets in Abidjan," a police officer who is part of a task force charged with fighting gangland crime told AFP.
Criminals bent on a heist can rent an assault rifle for 30 euros ($37).
In one working-class district, a dealer who calls himself... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Netherlands
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