Firearm News
Egypt
Rising Gang Violence in Ecuador Prompts State of Emergency
6 May 2022
Organization for World Peace
President Guillermo Lasso of Ecuador has declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Guayas, Manabí, and Esmeraldas, as a result of rising crime in the region. Citing the impact of drug trafficking gangs, he has announced the imposition of a curfew and has sent 9,000 police and soldiers to the coastal provinces in an effort to enforce peace and order. Since taking office in 2021, this action means President Lasso has now twice used emergency powers due to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Organization for World Peace
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Morocco
Morocco Approves Draft Law to Regulate Firearms
12 March 2022
Hespress
The Government Council, chaired by Aziz Akhannouch Head of Government, approved, in its session of Thursday on March 10, the draft law No. 86.21 on firearms, their parts, components, accessories, and ammunition, put forth by the Minister of the Interior Abdelouafi Laftit.
The project aims to fortify the kingdom's legislation with international conventions against all forms of illicit firearms trafficking.
At a press conference after the meeting of the Government... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Hespress
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Afghanistan,Libya
Afghanistan and Libya: All Weapons in the Hands of Islamic Terrorists
22 September 2021
Corriere della Sera (italy)
Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are the three crises that today fuel the archipelago of Islamic extremism. Three countries that are out of control and where Western intervention has increased the risk to global security. In Doha, in recent months, the Americans negotiated the withdrawal from Afghanistan with the Taliban, promising: we will leave, but you will not allow al Qaeda or other extremist groups to operate in the country. We know how that went. And when countries... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Corriere della Sera (italy)
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North Africa,Slovakia,Czech Republic,France,Serbia,Burkina Faso,Mali
Sahel: Serbian Weapons Used by Brutal Armed Groups
24 August 2021
Amnesty International
Amnesty International's arms experts have identified Serbian-manufactured weapons in videos posted by armed groups operating in the Sahel, including an Islamic State affiliate which has claimed responsibility for hundreds of civilian deaths. The new rifles, some the latest available models, match trade records of Serbia's sales to Burkina Faso, suggesting the weapons were recently sold to the government before falling into the hands of armed groups.
Amnesty... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International
40629
Sudan
Sudan Destroys 300,000 Illegal Firearms
30 September 2020
Daily Independent (Sudan)
The Sudanese government destroyed over 300,000 illegal weapons that were handed over voluntarily over three phases as part of the National Project for Collecting Firearms, announcing the launch of the fourth phase.
At a ceremony held in Hajar al-Asal area in northern Sudan, thousands of the firearms collected over the past three years were destroyed in a controlled explosion by the army.
The operation was carried out in the presence of defense and interior ministers,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Independent (Sudan)
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Sudan
Sudan Collects 30,000 Firearms in Darfur
25 December 2017
Dabanga (Sudan)
The disarmament campaign in North Darfur has not led to the planned results, according to the state's governor, although more than 170 militiamen affiliated with former janjaweed leader Musa Hilal have reportedly been arrested.
Talking to a Darfur local radio on Saturday, Governor Abdelwahid Yousif Ibrahim acknowledged the small number of the weapons collected so far.
He pointed to the spread of huge numbers of arms in North Darfur, and stressed that there is still a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dabanga (Sudan)
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Sudan
Sudanese Government to Initiate Collection Campaign for Illegal Firearms
7 August 2017
Dabanga (Sudan)
This week, Second Vice-President Hasabo Abdelrahman will chair the first meeting with the five governors of Darfur about the disarmament campaign scheduled to start before the end of this year.
The Governor of North Darfur, Abdelwahid Yousif, said in a press statement on Sunday that Abdelrahman would arrive in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, today, to discuss the state's plan for the collection of unlicensed arms with the governors of the five states of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Dabanga (Sudan)
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Morocco
Police Killing Sparks New Gun Rules in Morocco [FR]
25 November 2016
Yabiladi (Morocco)
[Translated summary: Following human rights protests after police killed two criminals in Morocco, the General Directorate for National Security has given new instructions regarding the use of service firearms. Guns must be the last resort and police officers must aim for the limbs, except in the case of terrorist attack or resistance to the authorities.]
Suite au décès de deux « délinquants » tombés sous les balles de la police à Béni Mellal et Salé, les... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Yabiladi (Morocco)
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West Africa,North Africa
Report Sheds Light on the Origin of Guns in the Sahel [FR]
16 November 2016
Libération (France)
[Translated summary: Conflict Armament Research has published a report about gun transfers in the Sahel region in which they analyse stocks of firearms and ammunition seized from traffickers and combatants. They concluded that Libya is no longer the main source of illegal firearms; Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan have the biggest stocks of guns in the region, but Chinese and Russian firearms are also common.]
Une enquête minutieuse du Conflict Armement Research apporte un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Libération (France)
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Algeria,Tunisia,Morocco,Libya
Algeria Seizes Many Guns at Tunisian and Libyan Borders [FR]
16 November 2016
Réalités (Tunisia)
[Translated summary: Algerian Customs have seized a large number of firearms at the borders with Tunisia and Libya. The guns are very sophisticated and equipped with new technologies. They belong to trafficking networks and terrorists from Libya, where there are 20,000 illegal firearms in circulation.]
Les services de la Douane algérienne ont intensifié récemment leur présence au niveau des frontières avec le Maroc et la Tunisie et ce en ayant recours à d'autres... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Réalités (Tunisia)
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United States,Saudi Arabia,South Korea,United Kingdom,Germany,Algeria,Switzerland,Netherlands,United Arab Emirates,Turkey,France
Germany Defends Its Sudden Leap in Gun, Ammo Exports [ES]
26 October 2016
Deutsche Welle
[Translated summary: Between January and June 2016, Germany exported firearms and military equipment amounting to €4 billion; an increase of 500 million in relation to the same period in 2015. The government defended its firearm export policy, saying that it's restrictive and transparent and assuring that they give a "special relevance" to the respect of human rights.]
Entre enero y junio de 2016 Alemania concedió permisos de exportación de armas y equipamiento... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
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Morocco
Morocco: Police Must Use Guns More to Fight Crime [FR]
18 September 2016
Le 360 (Morocco)
[Translated summary: To face an increase in crime, Moroccan police will be required to use their firearms more often. Police sources explain that this is a right they haven't employed until now because the level of crime in Morocco was not as high as in other countries. Morocco has around 50,000 police officers and most of them carry Beretta pistols and HK machine guns.]
Pour faire face à la montée de la criminalité, la police marocaine serait désormais appelée à... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le 360 (Morocco)
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United States,Switzerland,European Union,Egypt,Saudi Arabia,Yemen,Bahrain,United Arab Emirates,Qatar,Kuwait,Lebanon,Jordan
Arms Trade Treaty Member Nations Flout Gun Trade Rules [FR]
26 August 2016
SwissInfo
[Translated summary: Many countries that have signed the Arms Trade Treaty continue to ignore the rules. Only Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden have been completely transparent about their trade. US, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France and Italy continue to sell arms to Egypt which translates into the torture and death of hundreds of people.]
Disposer d'un traité sur le commerce des armes, c'est bien. Encore faut-il qu'il soit respecté. Pour Amnesty International, trop... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: SwissInfo
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Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan,Bulgaria,Italy,Syria,Czech Republic,Iran,Libya,Yemen,United Kingdom,Ukraine,United States,South Sudan,France
World Powers Accused of Violating Arms Trade Treaty [ES]
23 August 2016
IPS Noticias
[Translated summary: Human Rights organisations and military analysts accuse the United States, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France and Italy of violating the Arms Trade Treaty by selling to countries in conflict. Experts say that effectively implementing the treaty could save millions of lives.]
NACIONES UNIDAS - Los grandes proveedores de armamento violan el tratado que regula su comercio y que se propone frenar el flujo de armas pequeñas y ligeras hacia las zonas de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IPS Noticias
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Yemen,Syria,South Sudan,United States,Bulgaria,Czech Republic,France,Italy,Egypt,Ukraine,Moldova,Slovakia,United Kingdom,Saudi Arabia,Germany,Spain
UN: No Tolerance for States Who Flout Arms Trade Treaty
22 August 2016
Amnesty International (London)
- States Parties [countries] still engaging in unscrupulous arms transfers, putting lives and human rights at risk
- More than a quarter of States Parties are yet to meet the treaty's reporting obligations
- Some States Parties opting to reject public scrutiny of their arms transfers
States must ensure the global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) lives up to its promise to save lives and protect human rights from the devastating effects of the international arms trade by taking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International (London)
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Libya
Gun Registration, Amnesty Launched in Two Libyan Cities
11 August 2016
Libya Herald
In a move driven possibly more by hope than expectation, the military police in Marj have unveiled a gun amnesty programme for residents to encourage them to hand over their weapons or register them.
Those in possession of firearms have 30 days in which to hand them in if they are heavy weapons, or register them for their personal protection, if they are classed as "light".
The move follows a similar one in Tobruk, where residents have until 15 September to hand in or... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Libya Herald
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Ukraine,Russia,Iraq,Syria,Libya
Ukraine Once Again a Trove for Black Market Gun Trafficking
25 July 2016
New York Times, Reuters
SLOVIANSK/MOSCOW — On Feb. 12 last year, the same day that a ceasefire ended the worst of the fighting in eastern Ukraine between rebels and government forces, a former rebel fighter seized a chance to turn his inside knowledge of the conflict into hard cash.
He traveled to a spot on the Russian-Ukrainian border where he retrieved a cache of weapons hidden there earlier by his comrades in the pro-Russian rebel movement.
Four days later, shortly before 6:00 p.m., he... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times, Reuters
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Sudan,Russia
Guns Continue to Proliferate, Russia Blocks Inquiry in Darfur
7 July 2016
Guardian
"I fired my first gunshot when I was nine," says Salih. "For years after that I was very eager to do it again. I owned my first weapon when I got to 14. It was an AK-47."
Salih is now 38, but guns have been a permanent fixture in his life. Growing up in Darfur in one of the Arab tribes that has been at war with other ethnic groups in the region since 2003, he says it quickly became clear the only way to protect his family was to get a weapon of his own.
In the 13... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian
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