The Eritrean government has launched a comprehensive program of distribution of machine guns and ammunition to the population, especially in the cities. A measure that sows fear and confusion among Eritreans inside and in the diaspora. Since Spring 2012, with the usual silent paranoia that characterizes the government of Eritrea has been forcing ordinary citizens to be enlisted in neighborhood militias, according to the testimony of many Eritreans in the country and... (GunPolicy.org)

The Executive Secretary of the Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA), Dr. Francis K. Sang, has called upon all countries within the region to come up with more mechanisms and strategies to fight against the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons. RECSA is an intergovernmental body based in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together 13 countries from the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa region. All member states that subscribe to the centre, including Rwanda, are... (GunPolicy.org)

Arms are still being smuggled into Somalia despite a United Nations embargo, a report released by an international security think tank yesterday indicates. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) arms continue to be illegally brought in from Yemen into Somalia as imports which end up with Somali opposition and criminal groups. "Arms purchases by opposition groups have reportedly been facilitated by financing from Eritrea, private... (GunPolicy.org)

The Regional Centre on Small Arms (Recsa) is procuring a database software to facilitate firearms marking, record keeping and trade of light weapons in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa. Speaking at a two-day regional workshop in Dar es Salaam on Thursday, the Recsa Monitoring and Evaluation head, Mr Nestory Mpembela, said with the database software, small arms and light weapons particulars would be at finger tips. "This product will immensely and positively... (GunPolicy.org)

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 over many years, this... (GunPolicy.org)

MOGADISHU — Sitting on a mat at home between taking orders for arms on his two mobile phones, Osman Bare gives thanks for the riches flowing from Somalia's war. "I have only been in the weapon business five years, but I have erected three villas. I have also opened shops for my two wives," said the 40-year-old, one of about 400 Somali men operating in Mogadishu's main weapons market. "Peace means bankruptcy for us." Despite a U.N. arms embargo on Somalia, the Horn... (GunPolicy.org)

In Mogadishu, prices of guns and ammunition have fallen in recent months due to plentiful supplies from Eritrea and Uganda and the weapons Ethiopian troops left behind when they withdrew, arms dealers say. Here is a price list for some popular weapons: Mortars 120 mm - $700 ($55 per mortar bomb) 82 mm - $300 ($25 per bomb) 60 mm - $200 ($18 per bomb) Anti-aircraft guns (truck mounted) 23 mm - $20,000 ($2.50 per round) 37 mm version also available, but there is... (GunPolicy.org)

NAIROBI — All firearms in the Great Lakes Region, East Africa and the Horn of Africa will soon be marked with country codes, force code and serial numbers in the fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. A workshop organised by the Regional Centre on Small Arms and held recently on Kenya's South Coast was told that 12 manual arms-marking machines have already been purchased through funding from the US government and will be distributed to each... (GunPolicy.org)