Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Angola
Security Companies in Angola Must Hand In Weapons
2 September 2022
Jornal de Angola
Security companies have six months to hand in the war calibre weapons they use in their activities, against the rules set out in Law 10/14, commissioner Orlando Bernardo said yesterday during a press conference on the balance of criminal actions that occurred in August and September this year in the country.
The official clarified that after this deadline, companies that fail to deliver will do so in a coercive manner. "From now on, the coercive period will start, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Jornal de Angola
40697
Angola
Angola Concerned Over Rise In Firearm Homicides
20 September 2021
TPA (Angola)
Angola has recorded a generalised reduction in crimes in the country, but cases of murder have increased, many of which are carried out using firearms, the Angolan interior minister warned today, calling for the involvement of the authorities and the population.
Eugénio Laborinho was speaking at the opening of the extended Consultative Council, during which he presented data on public security for the first half of 2021.
According to the minister, in the first six... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: TPA (Angola)
40698
Angola
More firearms destroyed in Malanje, Angola
3 October 2017
Voa Portugues
Since 2014 more than 7,000 firearms have been removed from circulation in the 14 municipalities
In the Angolan province of Malanje, 2,612 firearms were destroyed in recent days, in a ceremony headed by the outgoing deputy governor for the political and social sector, Manuel campo.
Dozens of crimes committed every month in Malanje are committed with illegal firearms.
The coordinator of the Provincial Technical Sub-Commission for Disarming the Civilian Population,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voa Portugues
40696
Cameroon
New Gun Law in Cameroon Bans Homemade Firearms [FR]
23 November 2016
237 Online (Cameroon)
[Translated summary: The National Defence and Security Committee of Cameroon has examined a new firearm and ammunition bill. The new regulations include the prohibition of homemade firearms and mandatory marking for better tracing.]
L'Economie du projet de loi examinée à la Commission de la défense nationale et de la sécurité.
La Commission de la défense nationale et de la sécurité a, vendredi dernier, en présence du ministre de la Défense, examiné le... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: 237 Online (Cameroon)
40232
Gabon
New Gun Licence and Hidden Handgun Fees in Gabon [FR]
16 October 2016
Gabon Review
[Translated summary: There are an estimated 190,000 firearms (licit and illicit) in the hands of civilians in Gabon. Recently, the government adopted a new decree that sets the fee for firearm licences and hidden handgun carry permits. The aim is to reduce the number of homicides, which was 148 in 2012.]
L'utilisation des armes à feu par des civils dans certaines localités du pays lors des émeutes postélectorales fait réfléchir le gouvernement. Avec un arsenal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Gabon Review
40010
Congo (DRC)
429 Guns Destroyed During Buyback Operation in Congo [FR]
24 August 2016
Radio Okapi (Kinshasa)
[Translated summary: Authorities of the province of Haut-Katanga (Congo) have destroyed 429 firearms of different calibres. These arms were recovered in three months during an on-going civilian disarming operation on which the owners were rewarded with motorcycles, bikes and other goods.]
Les autorités de la province du Haut-Katanga ont détruit, mardi 23 août, environ 429 armes à feu de différents calibres, dans la cité de Kilwa, située à plus de 350 km de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Okapi (Kinshasa)
39736
Angola
Over 67,000 Illegal Firearms Destroyed in Angola
10 July 2016
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
NAMIBE — Sixty-seven thousand of 102,027 fire arms so far collected from the civil population countrywide have been destroyed, said Saturday in southwest Namibe province the second general commander of National Police chief commissioner, Paulo de Almeida.
Also coordinator of National Technical Sub-Commission for Civilian Disarmament, Paulo de Almeida was speaking at the central event of the International Small Arms Destruction Day, on July 9.
The senior police... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
39568
Angola
Angola Police Seize Five Kalashnikovs in Cuanza Sul [FR]
14 May 2016
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: Angola National Police has recovered five firearms and a Kalashnikov magazine in the context of the disarmament of the civilian population. Since 2008, the police have seized 6,849 guns.]
SUMBE - Cinq armes à feu de type AKM ont été récupérées par la Police nationale, au cours des sept derniers jours, dans la province de Cuanza Sul, dont la ville de Sumbe est le chef-lieu (littoral-centre).
Outre les armes, un chargeur de Kalachnikov a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
39296
Angola
Angola Police Collect Five Guns During Civilian Disarmament
14 May 2016
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
Five fire-arms of the AKM type were collected in the last seven days by the Police Command of the central Cuanza Sul Province, in the ambit of the disarmament process of the civilian population.
The weekly report of the corporation, which reached ANGOP last Friday, states that one AKM bullets magazine was also collected.
Since the start of the process in 2008 the corporation in Cuanza Sul collected 6,849 fire-arms of different calibres, and from that number 425 were... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
39284
Cameroon
Anti-poaching Raids Seize 2,000 Guns in Cameroon [FR]
19 April 2016
Tribune de Genève
[Translated summary: According to the Cameroonian minister in charge of wildlife, 2,000 firearms have been seized during an operation against ivory poaching.]
Plus de six tonnes d'ivoire saisies par les services camerounais de protection de la faune et des forêts ont été incinérées mardi en public dans Yaoundé, une première dans ce pays d'Afrique centrale.
Cette destruction par le feu concerne 2000 défenses d'éléphants pour un poids de 3,510 tonnes et 1753... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Tribune de Genève
39273
Angola
100,000 Firearms Recovered in Angola Civilian Disarmament [FR]
17 April 2016
Agência Angola Press
[Translated summary: The coordinator of an on-going disarmament programme in the province of Cuanza Sul, Angola, claimed that this government strategy contributes to the consolidation of peace and development. Since the beginning of the programme, more than 100,000 firearms have been recovered.]
Sumbe - Le coordinateur de la Sous-commission Technique Nationale pour le Désarmement de la Population Civile, le commissaire chef Paulo de Almeida, a considéré comme très... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Agência Angola Press
39135
Angola
2,303 Firearms Seized by Angola Police in 2015 [FR]
17 March 2016
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: According to the 2015 National Police Report, 2,303 firearms of various calibres were seized last year.]
LUANDA — La situation de la sécurité publique dans le pays est stable, selon les autorités policières, 80 pour cent des crimes enregistrés ont été éclaircis en 2015 et par conséquent, la détention des présumés auteurs impliqués dans des homicides volontaires, vols et violations.
La constatation a été exprimée dans un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
38984
Cameroon
Cameroon: More than 34,000 Small Arms in Circulation [FR]
10 February 2016
Journal du Cameroun, Agence Africaine de Presse
[Translated summary: More than 34,000 small arms are in circulation in Cameroon, according to Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).]
Plus de 34 000 armes légères sont en circulation au Cameroun, a annoncé la branche nationale de Women's international league for peace and freedom (WILPF) au cours de la restitution d'une enquête, mercredi à Douala.
Cette enquête découle du Traité sur le commerce des armes (TCA) qui est un texte normatif... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Journal du Cameroun, Agence Africaine de Presse
38969
Central African Republic
Central African Republic Leader Calls for Voluntary Firearm Disarmament
1 June 2014
Reuters
DAKAR - Central African Republic's prime minister on Sunday called for voluntary national disarmament next week in a bid to halt a worsening cycle of violence that threatens to drive Muslims from the West of the country.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Andre Nzapayeke declared June 8 would be a day for all citizens to hand in their weapons, after a spike in sectarian tensions in the majority-Christian capital Bangui following an attack on a church by Muslim... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
38720
Congo (DRC),Africa,Sudan,South Sudan,Bulgaria,Iran
Chasing Bullets, Firearms in the Democratic Republic of Congo
13 May 2014
IRIN (UN News)
Virunga National Park — Her job is to track and trace small arms and ammunition in Africa's conflict zones.
Each bullet, assault rifle, mortar, rocket or other item of military hardware she documents forms a piece of a huge jigsaw being created by the UK-based NGO Conflict Armaments Research (CAR) to map the precise flows of conflict weaponry in Africa.
Moving within the ebb and flow of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) conflict, the investigator, who asked... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
38663
Cameroon,Nigeria
Questions Raised About Arms Seizures in Cameroon
14 April 2014
Voice of America
YAOUNDE — Cameroon's government says it has seized huge consignments of arms and ammunition destined for Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. Residents in the area of the alleged seizure, however, say they are unaware of any such activity.
"The governor of the Far North Region has congratulated the forces of law and order and administrative authorities of Logone and Chari Division for impounding a huge quantity of arms and ammunition which was being smuggled for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of America
38569
Cameroon,Nigeria,Niger,Chad
Doubts Over Cameroonian Claims of Arms Cache Find in Nigeria
9 April 2014
Deutsche Welle
The announcement of the discovery in Cameroon of a large cache of arms and ammunition intended for Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria is regarded in some quarters as government propaganda.
There was alarm in northern Cameroon when it was announced in early April that two Italian priests and a nun had been kidnapped by suspected members of the Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is waging an insurgency in neighboring Nigeria.
The whereabouts of the three are still unknown.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
38543
Nigeria,Cameroon
Cameroon Arrests Two Weapons Suppliers to Nigerian Terror Group
1 April 2014
Premium Times (Nigeria)
The Cameroonian security forces have succeeded in capturing two suspected arms suppliers to terrorists in Nigeria, an official has said.
According to a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, over 288 rifles, 35 Rocket Propelled Guns and 35 improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, were recovered from the suspects by the Cameroonian forces.
Mr. Olukolade said the recovery was made after a fierce encounter at Abugasse, Cameroon, close to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Premium Times (Nigeria)
38520
Africa,North Africa,Russia,Syria,Mali,Qatar,Turkey,Libya,Egypt,Chad,Somalia,Nigeria,Niger
Libya's Guns Free-For-All Fuels Region's Turmoil
22 March 2014
St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
TRIPOLI — At the heart of the Libyan capital, the open-air Fish Market was once a place where residents went to buy everything from meat and seafood to clothes and pets. Now it's Tripoli's biggest arms market, with tables displaying pistols and assault rifles. Ask a vendor, and he can pull out bigger machine guns to sell for thousands of dollars.
Libya, where hundreds of militias hold sway and the central government is virtually powerless, is awash in millions of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: St Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
38494
Angola
Angola Police Chief Wants Control of Police Guns to Prevent Diversion, Crime
28 February 2014
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
The Commander of National Police in central Bie province, commissioner Eduardo Fernando Cerqueira, advised Friday the police officers to leave their firearms in police stations to better control the material and avoid guns to be in the hands of unauthorized people.
The commissioner was speaking at the ceremony of 38th anniversary of National Police which is being marked on Friday, considered necessary for the police officers to avoid taking firearms to their houses, as... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
38435
West Africa,Central African Republic,Sudan,Nigeria,Congo (DRC),Cameroon,Libya
Arms Smuggling to Nigerian Criminals Threatens Cameroon
21 February 2014
IRIN (UN News)
YAOUNDE — Recent arms seizures and arrests of traffickers in Cameroon's Far North Region have highlighted the escalating insecurity caused by Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria and the impact of the unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan.
In January, Cameroon's security forces arrested a man attempting to transport 655 guns to Nigeria. In September 2013, 5,400 AK-47 rifles were seized on a pick-up truck in Maroua, the capital of Far North Region,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
38395
Libya,West Asia,Egypt,Syria,Mali,North Africa,Italy,France,United States,United Kingdom,Russia,Belarus,China,Algeria,Caribbean,South America,Niger,Chad,European Union,Tunisia
Post-Uprising Gun Proliferation is Destabilising the Middle East
20 February 2014
Fair Observer
In recent years, as order in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) eroded between uprisings and armed conflicts, the desire for arms amongst a wide range of actors became one more destabilizing factor in the complexities of each situation.
However, arms proliferation is nothing new to the MENA region. Whether it was through state actors or black market trading, weapons have circulated throughout the Middle East and North Africa for many years.
Today, arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fair Observer
38403
China,Congo (DRC),Germany,United Kingdom,Myanmar,Israel,European Union,Italy,Spain,Egypt,France,Libya,Saudi Arabia
European Arms Sales to Middle East Reach Record Level, NGOs Concerned
1 February 2014
Ekklesia (UK)
European Union countries licensed arms exports in 2012 valued at €39.9 billion, according to newly released figures. This included a record €9.7 billion in sales to the Middle East – a 22 percent increase on sales in the previous year.
The statistics are revealed in the Fifteenth Annual Report on Control of Exports of Military Technology and Equipment.
The European Network Against the Arms Trade (ENAA) says that the figures show little change in arms export... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ekklesia (UK)
38328
Angola
Angola Police Undertake 'Micro' Disarmament, Seize Guns, Ammo
5 January 2014
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
Under the disarmament of the population illegally owning weapons, the command of the National Police in the central Bie province has held recently six micro operations, resulting in the collection of miscellaneous ordnance.
According to the note from the National Police Command that reached ANGOP on Sunday, the corporation seized 88 ammunitions of the type mod -43, about 37 ammunitions of the type mod - 08, at least 11 projectiles of AGS -17, a projectile of AGS -17... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
38239
Tanzania,Congo (DRC),Somalia,Mozambique,Kenya
Assault Weapons From Mozambique Used by Tanzanian Poachers
30 December 2013
Independent (UK)
The wildest sound on the savannah is not the lion's roar, but the elephant's trumpet. When he senses a lurking poacher, the elephant screams, loud and shrill, to alert the herd and scare his enemy.
The poacher, standing only a few feet away takes aim and fires. The elephant screams again, before he collapses in a heap. One bullet will rarely kill an adult elephant, and it takes many minutes before the life drains away.
Military weapons such as AK-47s are increasingly... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (UK)
38225
Congo (DRC)
DRC Votes on New Law to Regulate Gun Possession, Trafficking [FR]
4 December 2013
Digital Congo
[Translated summary: The Democratic Republic of Congo government has voted to accept a draft law on the control of firearms and ammunition and the prevention of firearms trafficking. The law includes licence requirements and works to meet the DRC's obligations under the Nairobi Protocol.]
KINSHASA - La Chambre haute du Parlement s'est appesantie sur la réglementation de la détention et du trafic d'armes légères en RDC en votant à sa séance plénière de mardi un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Digital Congo
38149
Burundi,Congo (DRC)
Second Disarmament Campaign Begins in Burundi (Fr)
11 November 2013
Ici Lome (Togo)
[Translated summary: Burundi officials have begun a second voluntary national disarmament campaign to reduce the number of illegal firearms held by citizens. Authorities also hope that the move will reduce the crime rate, with weapons entering the country through its porous borders. The first disarmament campaign in 2009 resulted in the collection of thousands of weapons.]
Burundi - Le chef de l'Etat burundais Pierre Nkurunziza a procédé ce lundi au lancement de la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ici Lome (Togo)
38066
Angola
86,000 Firearms Collected in Angola Since 2008
30 October 2013
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
At least 86,000 firearms were collected by Angolan National Police from 2008 to 2013, as part of the voluntary disarming process, it was announced on Wednesday by police chief commissioner, Paulo de Almeida.
According to the coordinator of national technical sub commission for civil population disarming, despite of voluntary hand over by the citizens, the national police has the main goal of keeping the public order and tranquility, by sensitizing the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
38034
Oceania,Iran,North Korea,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Syria,Europe,United States,Asia,Africa,Americas
Editorial: Containing the Conventional Arms Trade
30 September 2013
New York Times, Editorial
Efforts to control the $70 billion a year global market in conventional weapons got a big boost when the United States signed the United Nations arms trade treaty, joining more than 100 other countries in affirming the need to keep these weapons out of the hands of unscrupulous regimes, militants and criminals.
But the work is far from done. At least 50 member countries, including the United States, must still carry out the next step and ratify the treaty for it to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
37934
Cameroon,Central Africa
Cameroonians Demand Action on Central Africa Gun Treaty
2 September 2013
Deutsche Welle
Hardly a day goes by in Cameroon without reports of an armed robbery or pirate attacks off the coast. Residents in Yaounde, the capital, say the region's rising crime rate is making them more and more afraid to go about their everyday lives. Violent crime has gone up 22 percent in the last 10 years according to authorities.
And yet, in 2011 a potential solution was in sight. The Economic Community of Central African States had approved a gun control treaty for small... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Deutsche Welle
37817
Angola
Angola Authorities Collect Over 4,000 Guns in Five Years [FR]
5 August 2013
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: Authorities in the Bengo province of Angola have collected 4,944 firearms in the last five years as part of a civilian disarmament program.]
CAXITO, Angola - Quatre mille 944 armes à feu, dont 3.355 de marque AKM, ont été collectées au cours de cinq dernières années dans la province de Bengo, dans le cadre du processus de désarmement de citoyens en possession illégale de fusils.
Le bilan du rapport hebdomadaire du commandement provincial... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
37730
Congo (DRC)
Armed Groups Impose 'Gun Law' in Eastern DRC
1 August 2013
Voice of America
GOMA — People who have fled from the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern conflict zone say the armed groups that control their villages have imposed a new rule: each family must buy a firearm from the local armed group, or face unpleasant consequences.
There are many firearms in Masisi territory, the part of eastern Congo that saw the country's worst inter-ethnic violence last year. Now, according to people who fled the territory, gun ownership has been made... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of America
37723
Angola
Police Seize Over 4,000 Weapons in Angola
30 April 2013
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
CAXITO — At least 4,483 fire-arms, among which 3,333 AKM, were collected in the northen Bengo province in the last six years, as part of the disarmament process of citizens illegally owning weapons.
According to a weekly assessment from the National Police in Bengo sent to Angop on Monday, the collection includes 23,472 ammunitions, 1,390 magazines, 340 explosive devices and 26 grenades.
The statement informs that during last week the police recorded a compulsory... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
37391
Cameroon
45 Weapons Seized in Anti-Poaching Operation in Cameroon [FR]
29 April 2013
Cameroon Tribune / Camer (Belgium)
[Translated summary: 20 poachers were arrested and 45 firearms seized after an operation in south east Cameroon, while two people were injured. Officials are concerned about the effects of poaching on wildlife and the proliferation of weapons.]
20 braconniers arrêtés et 45 armes à feu saisies à l'EstC'est le bilan de l'opération conduite le ministère des Forêts et de la Faune du 15 au 26 avril.
Le bilan de l'opération coup de poing organisée par le Ministère... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Cameroon Tribune / Camer (Belgium)
37389
European Union,Congo (ROC)
Over 2.6 Million Ammo Rounds Destroyed in Republic of Congo
25 April 2013
Global Times (China)
More than 2.6 million rounds of unexploded ammunition have been neutralized by a non-governmental organization in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, to avoid a repetition of the deadly blast in the city last year.
The action was taken in Brazzaville's Mpila district, where an explosion occurred at an arms depot on March 4, 2012, the European Union (EU) said in a statement released here on Wednesday.
"The evaluation of the clearing and clean-up... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Global Times (China)
37371
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
Niger,Algeria,Tunisia,Somalia,Chad,Palestine,Mali,Liberia,Egypt
Egypt Major Recipient of Illicit Libyan Weapons: UN Report
10 April 2013
Daily News (Egypt)
The United Nations published a report on Tuesday which concludes that weapons used during the Libyan civil war against Muammar Gaddafi are being funnelled at an alarming rate to other countries in the region.
The report said these weapons have been found to be used in the recent war in Mali, the West Bank in Palestine and the ongoing Syrian civil war, with Egypt and the Sahel region receiving the most significant amounts. The report said these weapons are fuelling... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily News (Egypt)
37305
Central Africa,East Africa,Ghana
Over 2,500 Firerms Destroyed Since 2001 in Ghana
26 March 2013
Spy Ghana (Ghana)
Ghana has played a major role in stopping the illicit trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and has destroyed over 2,500 weapons since 2001, according to the Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo Constituency, Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
Addressing Parliamentarians from 12 countries in Africa on the strides Ghana has made in dealing with the illegal trade in guns, Hon. Bagbin stated that Ghana is an active member of the global efforts to control illicit... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Spy Ghana (Ghana)
37238
Angola
More Than 100 Firearms Seized in Kuando Kubango, Angola [FR]
4 March 2013
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: 104 firearms and 750 ammunition seized in 2012 in the framework of the Disarmament Programme in the province of Kuando Kubango, Angola.]
MENONGUE (Angola) - 104 armes à feu et 750 munitions diverses ont été récupérées en 2012 dans la province de Kuando Kubango (extrême-sud-est) dans le cadre du programme de désarmement de la population.
Le bilan annuel rendu public jeudi à l'occasion des 37 ans de la police angolaise indique que parmi... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
37132
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
Angola
Angola Authorities Support Crackdown on Illegal Gun Possession
30 January 2013
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
Luanda — The Attorney-General, João Maria de Sousa, has defended the application of severe punitive measures on individuals found in possession of illegal firearms.
João Maria de Sousa has defended this stance at the session that discussed, in specialty, the State Budget Draft for 2013, with the coordination of the 1st and 10th Commissions of the National Assembly.
The magistrate said that this measure is justified by the fact that the country has recorded a high... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
37007
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
Angola
Angola Police Seize Over 4,000 Weapons in Disarmament Process
14 December 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
CAXITO — At least 4.351 weapons were seized in the northern Bengo province by the Police, under the disarming process of the population illegally owning firearms, which started in April, 2008, Angop has learnt.
A press note from the corporation says that the Police also seized 22.362 ammunitions, 1.342 magazines, 202 explosive devices and 26 projectiles.
Meanwhile the police destroyed 1.450 weapons, 776 magazines, 3.000 ammunitions and 888 explosive devices.
Under... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36834
Somalia,Congo (DRC),Kenya,South Sudan,Sudan,Uganda,East Africa
East Africa States to Work Together to Reduce Gun Trafficking
16 October 2012
New Vision (Kampala)
Directors of Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Directorates (CIID) in the East African region on Monday resolved to support Somalia to neutralise gun trafficking across the region.
The directors said arms traffickers were taking advantage of Somalia's instability and location next to the sea.
The Inspector General of Police, Lt. Gen. Kale Kayihura, said Somalia, which is now a reconstructed state, is ready to halt and thrash all culprits in gun trafficking... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Vision (Kampala)
36646
Angola
Fears Over Surplus Gun Levels in Angola, Despite Disarmament
9 October 2012
United Press International
LUANDA, Angola - Angola's massive arms stocks acquired during its war for independence worry arms proliferation specialists.
"Re-export is a problem generally. It can occur decades after the original deliveries," Small Arms Survey researcher Glenn McDonald said from Geneva.
"Angola is on the radar at the moment, as it has significant surplus stocks (of weapons)."
In the past five months Angolan authorities have collected more than 80,000 small weapons under a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
36659
Angola
Experts Worried about Re-Export of Weapons from Angola
9 October 2012
United Press International
LUANDA, Angola - Angola's massive arms stocks acquired during its war for independence worry arms proliferation specialists.
"Re-export is a problem generally. It can occur decades after the original deliveries,: Small Arms Survey researcher Glenn McDonald said from Geneva.
"Angola is on the radar at the moment, as it has significant surplus stocks (of weapons)."
In the past five months Angolan authorities have collected more than 80,000 small weapons under a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Press International
36627
South Africa,United States,Russia,United Kingdom,China,France,Germany,Liberia,South Sudan,Algeria,Egypt,Iran,Venezuela,West Africa,Africa,Angola
For Africa, Ammunition Control Deserves Global Gun Trade Treaty Focus
9 July 2012
IRIN (UN News)
JOHANNESBURG — For a couple of hundred dollars or less an arms dealer can illegally source a blank end user certificate with the required signatures and stamps - needed to transfer weapons across international borders - and "if no one checks its authenticity (often the case) he can ship his wares to the world's hotspots with minimal risk, for maximum profit," a report by the Small Arms Survey (SAS) said in 2008.
Since then "not much has changed" Glenn McDonald, based... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
36317
Somalia,Congo (DRC),Caribbean,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Liberia,Australia
Arms Trade Treaty Must Include All Guns and Ammo, Says Australia
2 July 2012
Sydney Morning Herald, Opinion
Ten years ago, tens of thousands of Kalashnikov assault rifles were transported into the West African country of Liberia. It was a violation of the UN arms embargo. The weapons were used by forces loyal to Charles Taylor to commit the most terrible crimes.
Boys, some as young as 11, were handed these weapons and told to kill. In the farms and villages of places such as Bong County on the border with Guinea, these Kalashnikovs became weapons of massive destruction. The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sydney Morning Herald
36293
Syria,Russia,Africa,China,India,Pakistan,European Union,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Congo (DRC),Sudan,Chad,Colombia
NGOs Set Minimum Specifications for Arms Trade Treaty [FR]
27 June 2012
Le Monde (France), Opinion
[Translated summary: Associations, NGOs and hundreds of members of the global coalition "Control Arms" have set minimum specifications for the future Arms Trade Treaty. It will have to control all types of conventional arms and ammunition used by military as well as by law enforcement, since they can be used for serious human rights violations. ATT will include exports but also imports, transit and all types of transfers and all actors, such as arms brokers, like Viktor... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Monde (France)
36280
Angola
Angolan Citizens Charged for Illegal Possession of Firearms [FR]
21 June 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: Five Angolan citizens accused of illegal possession of firearms were condemned to a suspended sentence and a fine.]
LUBANGO - Cinq citoyens angolais accusés de détention illégale d'armes à feu et d'engins explosifs, ont été condamnés par le tribunal provincial de Huila, à Lubango, a appris l'Angop jeudi, de source policière.
Le porte-parole de la police locale, le surintendant en chef Paiva Tomás, a livré cette information, précisant... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36271
Angola
Angola Police Recover More Than 100 Firearms in Luanda [FR]
18 June 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: Angola National Police recovered 109 firearms of various calibres in Luanda. This action took place in the framework of the disarmament programme of the civilian population.]
LUANDA - la Police Nationale à Luanda a recueilli 109 armes à feu de divers calibres, au mois de mai dernier, dans le cadre du programme de désarment de la population civile, qui se trouve dans sa phase cohercitive.
L'information est contenue dans le rapport mensuel de la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36261
Congo (DRC),Central African Republic,Niger,Côte d'Ivoire,Mali,Congo (ROC)
Towards the Support of Congo in the Fight against Small Arms [FR]
25 May 2012
Afriquinfos / Xinhua
[Translated summary: The representative of the Regional Center on Small Arms (RCSA), Marie Claire Bisamaza, reiterated the will of the organisation to support the Republic of Congo in implementing a National Plan of Action aiming at protecting the territory against proliferation of small arms and light weapons.]
BRAZZAVILLE - La représentante du Regional Center on Small Arms (RCSA), Marie Claire Bisamaza, a traduit jeudi à Brazzaville, la volonté de son institution... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Afriquinfos / Xinhua
36172
Egypt,Africa,Congo (DRC),Central African Republic,Sudan,Chad,Libya
African States Vow to Curb Arms Flow with Global Gun Trade Treaty
24 May 2012
New Vision (Kampala) / AFP
Security officials from five African states have pledged to step up cooperation to control the flow of small arms after a UN-backed conference.
Ministers of interior and security from Libya, Chad, Sudan and Central African Republic, as well as a provincial governor from Democratic Republic of Congo, agreed to establish a joint body to counter the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
A declaration issued late Wednesday after their two-day conference said the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Vision (Kampala) / AFP
36170
Congo (DRC),Libya,Sudan,Central African Republic,Chad
Sudan, UN Coordinate to Combat Spread of Small Arms in the Region
22 May 2012
Sudan Vision Daily
KHARTOUM – The United Nations announced that it is coordinating with the Sudanese Government and the Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (DDRC) to combat use of small and light arms in the Sudan, to strengthen institutions at the national level to curb armed violence and reduce demand on arms.
Use of arms disrupts development and spreads chaos, UN resident Coordinator, Ali Al-Zaetri, said, adding that the economic loss caused by the use of these... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sudan Vision Daily
36157
Angola
Firearms Seizure in the Province of Bengo, Angola [FR]
21 May 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: The National Police of Bengo, Angola, seized eight firearms that were held illegally by civilians.]
CAXITO, Angola - Le commandement provincial de la Police Nationale de Bengo, au nord de Luanda, a saisi huit armes, la semaine dernière, a appris l'Angop lundi de source policière.
Selon la source, ces armes étaient détenues illégalement par des citoyens.
Un communiqué parvenu lundi à l'Angop souligne que parmi les armes récupérées de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36152
Russia,China,United States,United Kingdom,Congo (DRC),Myanmar,Iran
UK Minister Calls for International Support on Arms Trade Treaty
17 May 2012
Guardian (UK)
The international arms trade has become the greatest threat to development and has to be controlled by a tough treaty to regulate weapons and munitions sales, a government minister warns.
In a speech to the Institute for Strategic Studies thinktank, Alan Duncan, the minister for international development, will urge allies such as the US to set aside their concerns and sign up to the comprehensive arms trade treaty (ATT), which will be hammered out during a month-long... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Guardian (UK)
36143
Angola
Amnesty Recovers More Than 100 Unlawfully Held Guns in Angola
22 April 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
CAXITO — At least 119 firearms of assorted calibres unlawfully in the hands of civilians in northern Bengo province were freely surrendered to the National Police from January 1 to April 22 this year, Angop learned.
The information was released by the Provincial Command of the National Police director for Public Order, Marcos Domingos.
According to the officer, 4,294 firearms have so far been surrendered in Bengo province since the nationwide operation started in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36061
Angola
Disarmament of Guns in Civilians' Possession Intensified in Angola
16 April 2012
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
LUANDA — The National Commission for Disarmament of Civilians will intensify its actions of coercive disarmament of citizens in possession of weapons throughout the country.
It was announced on Monday, by the spokesman of the committee, chief commissioner Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, at the end of a meeting held in Luanda, with the provincial and ministerial coordinators.
According to Paulo Gaspar de Almeida, actions will be implemented in all provinces, especially in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
36049
Ethiopia,South Africa,Burkina Faso,Sierra Leone,West Africa,Ukraine,Côte d'Ivoire,Eastern Europe,Russia,Central African Republic,Iraq,Afghanistan,United States,Colombia,Angola,Liberia,North Africa,West Asia,Africa
Shadowy 'Merchants of Death' Behind Africa's Illegal Gun-Running
11 April 2012
Think Africa Press (London)
Arms dealer Viktor Bout was sentenced to 25 years by a US federal court last week.
Widely known as the 'merchant of death', the 45-year-old Russian has delivered weapons and arms to a wide range of presidents, insurgents and rebels in Africa and the Middle East including the likes of Charles Taylor in Liberia and Jonas Savimbi in Angola. He was caught in a US sting in which his services were solicited for the supply of weapons to Colombia's FARC rebels.
His companies... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Think Africa Press (London)
36019
Congo (DRC)
Amnesty Re-launched in North Kivu, Congo DRC [FR]
14 March 2012
Radio Okapi (Kinshasa)
[Translated summary: The Governor of North Kivu, Julien Paluku, re-launches the operation "North Kivu Unarmed", calling anyone who illegaly possess a firearm to surrender it. A buyback launched in 2009 in Kinshasa and in the eastern provinces had allowed to collect 12,000 firearms.]
Le gouverneur du Nord-Kivu, Julien Paluku a remis une centaine d'armes individuelles et de guerre, mardi 13 mars, au commandant de la 8ème région militaire. Cette remise coïncide avec la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Okapi (Kinshasa)
35908
Angola
A Recent Amnesty in Angola Allows to Collect 90,000 Firearms [ES]
13 March 2012
Prensa Latina (Havana)
[Translated summary: A recent Amnesty in Angola allowed to collect at least 90,000 firearms. The Commander General of Police, Ambrosio de Lemos, said that although the voluntary surrender phase is over, the owners can still bring firearms to the competent authorities.]
Al menos 90 mil armas de fuego fueron recogidas en Angola en los últimos tiempos, como resultado de una labor persuasiva con la población para la entrega de esos artefactos, informaron hoy aquí... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Prensa Latina (Havana)
35909
Philippines,Trinidad & Tobago,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Uganda,Tanzania,Senegal,Congo (DRC),Pakistan,Nigeria,Niger,Namibia,Morocco,Mauritania,Malawi,Madagascar,Côte d'Ivoire,Burkina Faso,Botswana,Egypt,Angola,Algeria,South Africa,Ghana,China,United States,Austria,Russia,Israel,Bahrain,Asia,Africa,Brazil
Brazil Arms Exports: Country Preaches Peace, Sells Tons of Arms
28 February 2012
Huffington Post (USA)
A small, scratched metal can thrown on the ground created Brazil's first diplomatic embarrassment of 2012. The canister of tear gas had been collected by pro-democracy activists in Bahrain. Stamped across the can in blue was a Brazilian flag and the words 'MADE IN BRAZIL.'
One year had passed since Bahrain became the stage for pro-democracy protests by the majority Shiites against the Sunni monarchy commanded by king Hamad bin-Isa Khalifa. The protesters had been... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Huffington Post (USA)
35870
Kenya,Sudan,Congo (DRC),Uganda
Uganda Government is Drafting a Bill to Tighten, Control, Limit Firearm Use
25 February 2012
Monitor (Kampala)
The government is drafting a bill to tighten, control and limit the use of firearms by security agencies and civilians across the country. The Firearms, Ammunition and Related Materials Bill seeks to harmonise all existing laws governing possession of guns, including the Firearms Act, 1970.
The 1970 Act only regulates ownership of firearms held by individuals, while those held by the police and security agencies are governed under separate laws. It is not known how... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Monitor (Kampala)
35862
Germany,Chad,Yemen,Egypt,Libya,France,United Kingdom,United States,Sudan,Belarus,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Syria,Russia
Towards an International Control of Arms Trade, NGOs Concerned [FR]
19 February 2012
Le Monde (France)
[Translated summary: As negotiations were launched this week in New York on the Arms Trade Treaty, Amnesty International, CCFD-Terre Solidaire and Oxfam France are concerned about the risk of a "Treaty at a discount ".]
La vente d'armes à un régime qui réprime sa population, comme le fait aujourd'hui la Russie à l'Etat syrien, sera-t-elle bientôt illégale ? C'est l'enjeu des négociations qui devraient aboutir, en juillet, à New York, à la signature d'un... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Monde (France)
35854
Southern Africa,South Africa,Swaziland,Angola,Congo (DRC),Mozambique,Namibia,Zimbabwe,Central America,South America,Caribbean,Central Africa,Europe,Asia,Africa,Americas,Oceania,Botswana,China,Czech Republic,Germany,Russia,United States,Philippines,Italy
High Gun Death Risk for Young African Men, Women at Home - UN Study
19 February 2012
Southern Times (Southern Africa)
WINDHOEK - Young men in Southern Africa are at the greatest risk of cold-blooded murder, while women in the region are more likely than others from around the world to be killed in domestic violence, a UN agency says.
The statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) come as the region battles to contain the proliferation of gun-related crimes.
Experts have said gun-related crime is a major problem in South Africa and Swaziland, and is on the rise in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Southern Times (Southern Africa)
35844
Thailand,Malaysia,Indonesia,Kuwait,Qatar,Mexico,Peru,Venezuela,Colombia,Bolivia,Somalia,Nepal,Oman,Latvia,Mauritius,Guyana,Congo (DRC),Bosnia & Herzegovina,Saudi Arabia,Liberia,Kazakhstan,Singapore,Dominican Republic,Jordan,Trinidad & Tobago,United Arab Emirates,Guatemala,Honduras,Chile,Ecuador,Argentina,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Uganda,Tanzania,Senegal,Congo (ROC),Nigeria,Niger,Namibia,Morocco,Mauritania,Malawi,Côte d'Ivoire,Egypt,Burkina Faso,Brazil,Tunisia,Sri Lanka,Pakistan,Philippines,Yemen,United States,Italy,Germany,Israel,Austria,Russia,Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,South Africa,Algeria,Angola,Botswana,Ghana,Guinea,Madagascar
Brazilian Gun Industry Seeks New Markets: Africa and Asia [PT]
27 January 2012
Publica (Brazil)
[Translated summary: With the support of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, Brazilian gun manufacturers seek new markets in countries with a history of human rights violations: Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines and Yemen. Brazil is among the six countries in the world with annual exports exceeding $ 100 million, according to recent research from Small Arms Survey. According to the Army, responsible for supervising and controlling exports from 2005 to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Publica (Brazil)
35794
Africa,Americas,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Chad,Syria,Sri Lanka,Colombia,Greece
The Arms Trade Treaty and Human Rights - Amnesty's Report [FR]
25 January 2012
Amnesty International
[Translated summary: While international negotiations on the adoption of an International Arms Trade Treaty are at a crucial time, Amnesty International published a report illustrating through the situation in 5 countries (Chad, Syria, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Greece) the necessity of such an instrument to prevent deadly and irresponsible arms transfers.]
A l'heure où les négociations internationales en vue de l'adoption d'un traité international sur le commerce des... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Amnesty International
35769
Thailand,Colombia,Russia,United States,Uganda,Rwanda,South Africa,United Arab Emirates,Belgium,Sudan,Somalia,Côte d'Ivoire,Liberia,Angola,Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Congo (DRC)
Stopping the Trade in Death, Gun Trafficking, Smuggling - Opinion
6 December 2011
New York Times, Opinion
On a dark November morning in 2004, I woke up in my bungalow overlooking Lake Kivu, tense with anticipation. Our small United Nations team was about to undertake a surprise inspection of three airfields in eastern Congo, notorious for smuggling operations.
With the backing of U.N. peacekeeping forces and a U.N. Security Council mandate, we searched almost every incoming and outgoing aircraft that day. By evening, we had the evidence to link several aviation front... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35632
Congo (DRC),Africa,Kenya,United States
High-price US Fashion Jewellery Made from AK-47s Funds Gun Destruction
30 November 2011
New York Times
When Cara Buono arrived at the Emmy Awards in September, nominated as best guest actress in a drama series for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in "Mad Men," she wore a $150,000 political statement in her lobes. "These earrings," she said, "are made from AK-47 gun metal."
Ms. Buono's husband, Peter Thum, is a founder, with John Zapolski, of Fonderie 47, an organization that converts what is perhaps the most widely distributed assault rifle into jewelry.
On a visit to Kenya... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
35610
Libya,United States,Europe,France,Niger,Mali,Chad,Ukraine,China,North Africa
Hundreds of Thousands of Libyan Assault Rifles Looking for New Owners?
15 November 2011
Time (USA)
More than three weeks after Libya's rebels killed Muammar Gaddafi, arms experts say the task of finding and securing the mountain of weaponry abandoned by Gaddafi's forces in their final rout has been complicated by a lack of international funding and coordination, as well as conflicting priorities among Western and African governments about which weapons pose the biggest threat.
While U.S. and European officials have sounded the alarm about the threat posted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Time (USA)
35547
Cameroon
Growing Spread of Homemade Firearms in Cameroon, Debate Revived
3 November 2011
Radio Netherlands
Last July, 21-year-old Giulien Tchouangang accidentally shot and killed his little brother, Sidou Dzongang, who was only 13. The two brothers were playing with a firearm they found in their living room, unaware that it was loaded.
"The firearm Giulien Tchouangang used is a homemade 5.5mm calibre rifle which was modified into a 12 mm calibre that is used for hunting," says Sergeant Wassaing Albert, who heads the Bangou gendarmerie unit in Western Province of Cameroon,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Netherlands
35506
South America,Central America,Caribbean,Central Africa,El Salvador,Iraq,Jamaica,Colombia,Sri Lanka,Central African Republic,Sudan,Congo (DRC),Mexico
Study Finds Again That Crime, Not War is Main Source of Gun Violence
29 October 2011
Associated Press
GENEVA — More people are killed by armed violence resulting from crime than are killed in war, with Latin America and a swath of countries through the middle of Africa among the hardest hit, an international study claimed Thursday.
About 526,000 people die violently every year — or more than 1,400 people every day — according to the 2011 Global Burden of Armed Violence report.
Only about 55,000 of those killed die in warfare, while an estimated 396,000 people... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
35488
Austria,Central Africa,Angola,Burundi,Cameroon,Central African Republic,Chad,Congo (DRC),Congo (ROC),Equatorial Guinea,Gabon,Rwanda,Sao Tome & Principe
Regional Efforts to Combat Illicit Arms in Central Africa: Kinshasa Convention - UN
21 October 2011
African Press Organization (APO), Media release
NEW YORK -- The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations will organize tomorrow a special event entitled "Enhancing Small Arms Control In Central Africa — The Kinshasa Convention" at the Permanent Mission of Austria. This event will promote this new sub-regional instrument to control and fight the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Central Africa.
In September 2011, all eleven... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: African Press Organization (APO)
35443
Angola
Over 2,000 Firearms Seized by Angola National Police since June 2011
18 October 2011
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
KUITO — A total of 2,146 firearms of various calibre were seized by the National Police in central Bie province since the process of disarming of civilians in possession of weapons started in June this year in the country.
The information was provided Monday in the province's capital city, Kuito, by the spokesperson for the Technical Commission for Disarming, António Jorge, while presenting an assessment of the operation.
The officer stressed that in the period in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
35432
Caribbean,Central America,South America,Africa,Asia,Europe,Oceania,Central Africa,Southern Africa
Men Most Affected by Homicide, 40-60% Involve Guns, Says UN [FR]
5 October 2011
Le Parisien (France) / AFP
[Translated summary: According to a new report on homicide from UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), most of the 468,000 homicides in 2010 took place in Africa and in Latin America. Firearms were involved in 42%. In Central America and the Caribbean, firearms were involved in three quarters of the homicides.]
La plupart des 468.000 homicides commis dans le monde en 2010 ont eu lieu en Afrique et en Amérique latine et concernent surtout des hommes, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Parisien (France) / AFP
35377
Burundi,Rwanda,Congo (DRC),East Africa,Djibouti,Ethiopia,Eritrea,Kenya,Seychelles,Somalia,Sudan,Tanzania
RECSA Calls for Increased Efforts to Reduce Small Arms in East Africa
16 September 2011
New Times (Rwanda)
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)
Read More: New Times (Rwanda)
35284
Angola
Since 2008, 4,029 Firearms Collected in Bengo, Angola [Fr]
23 August 2011
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: The National Police collected twelve firearms in the framework of Angola Disarmament Campaign. Since 2008, 4,029 firearms have been collected.]
CAXITO, Angola - Le commandement provincial de la Police nationale a recueilli douze armes à feu, la fin de la semaine dernière, dans la province de Bengo, au nord de Luanda, dans le cadre de la campagne de désarmément en cours dans le pays.
Un communiqué parvenu mardi, à l'Angop, souligne que le... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
35239
Cameroon
Trafficking of Guns in Cameroon Prisons a Common Practice [Fr]
9 August 2011
Le Nouvel Observateur (France), Blog
[Translated summary: Trafficking of bladed weapons and firearms is a common thing in Cameroonian prisons. Sometimes carried out with the help of guards. All means are good, even with the help of a priest hiding a handgun in a bible.]
Des armes blanches et des armes à feu circulent dans les prisons camerounaises, notamment à la prison de New Bell à Douala. Parfois avec la complicité des gardiens. Les détenus s'en servent pour organiser évasions ou vols. Condamné... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Le Nouvel Observateur (France)
35180
Gabon,United States
Major US Justice Dept Gun Running Bribery Sting Rebounds, Fails in Court
8 July 2011
MainJustice.com
The Justice Department's decision to use an undercover sting to encourage executives in the defense products industry to offer bribes may have backfired this week, as jurors couldn't reach a verdict in a case the Justice Department had called the "turning point" for its fight against foreign bribery.
After more than 16 months of pre-trial hearings, 6 weeks of trial and 7 days of deliberation the case came to unsatisfying and unfinished end Thursday.
U.S. Federal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: MainJustice.com
35062
Congo (DRC)
Proliferation of Small Arms in East of Congo DRC - Study [Fr]
5 July 2011
Digital Congo (Congo DRC) / La Prospérité
[Translated summary: More than 300,000 firearms are held by civilians in the East region of Congo DRC. The two most common firearms are assault rifles and non-automatic rifles. These numbers can be found in a new study published by the UNDP/DRC.]
Plus de 300 000 armes à feu sont détenues par des civils dans l'Est de la RDC. Les deux armes les plus fréquemment détenus par les ménages sont le fusil d'assaut et le fusil non automatique.
« Armes légères dans la... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Digital Congo (Congo DRC) / La Prospérité
35023
Angola,Congo (DRC)
Govt Denies Deadly Gunfight Targeted Congo DRC Army Weapons Depot
29 June 2011
BBC News
A deadly gun battle has erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo mining capital of Lubumbashi.
President Joseph Kabila is in the town to preside over Thursday's Independence Day ceremonies.
Reports indicate that a military depot was the focus of the assault, but officials deny this.
Police opened fire on the attackers. Two gunmen and three civilians were killed in the gun battle, which lasted just under an hour.
The gunfire began on Wednesday between 0300-0400... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
34997
Angola
Angola's 'Coercive' Disarmament Drive Destroys 9,450 Weapons [Fr]
28 June 2011
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: In the coercive phase of the disarmament of the civilian population, 13 citizens were judged and sentenced to a prison term of three to 12 months for unlawful possession of firearms. During the last eight months, 9,450 weapons and 42,245 ammunition were destroyed.]
HUAMBO, Angola – Treize citoyens d'ãges compris entre 17 et 42 ans ont été jugés et condamnés, ces derniers huit mois, par le tribunal provincial de Huambo, de trois à 12 mois de... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
34991
Palestine,Libya,Chad,Sudan,Egypt
Smuggled, Stolen and Homemade, Guns Flood Egypt's Streets
27 June 2011
Al Masry Al Youm (Egypt)
A new conversation has been taking place around Egypt for the past five months, one that rarely came up before. How do you acquire a firearm?
With rising crime rates and an ongoing security vacuum since 28 January, the smuggling, manufacturing, and purchasing of weapons is on the rise.The insecurity has generated new clients and markets in a country where previously one rarely heard of civilians carrying personal weapons. The persistent security vacuum has sparked a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Al Masry Al Youm (Egypt)
34989
Angola
Voluntary Surrender of Firearms in Angola [Fr]
25 June 2011
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
[Translated summary: Fourteen firearms of various calibres were voluntarily surrendered to the police by population of the province of Cunene].
ONDJIVA, Angola - Quatorze armes de divers calibres ont été volontairement remises à la police la semaine dernière par population dans la province de Cunene.
Il s'agit de 14 armes de type AKM, cinq chargeurs, un obus de mortier de 60mm et 448 cartouches diverses.
La semaine antérieure, la population de Cunene avait... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
34987
Congo (DRC)
Preventing Diversion of Firearms and Ammunition in Congo DRC [Fr]
15 June 2011
La Prospérité (Congo DRC)
[Translated summary: A panel of experts met this week in Kinshasa to discuss the stockpiling and destruction of firearms and ammunition in DRC. The objective was to define the geographic priorities and emergencies on matters related to securing and managing stockpiling of National Defence firearms and ammunition. As mentioned by the National Commission, this is one step towards the implementation of the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: La Prospérité (Congo DRC)
34942
Congo (DRC)
Campaign to Pass New Law, Return Guns in North Kivu, Congo [Fr]
5 June 2011
Radio Okapi (Congo DRC)
[Translated summary: Local civil society groups met in Goma, DRC to raise awareness of the 12,000 firearms distributed to civilians during conflict, but not returned. They urged the government to pass a new law on the movement of firearms].
C'est le constat fait, samedi 4 juin, à Goma à l'issue d'une journée de réflexion organisée par l'Association des volontaires du Congo (Asvoco) sur le thème: «Qui est responsable?». Selon le président de cette association,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Radio Okapi (Congo DRC)
34917
Angola
Disarmament Campaign Collects 123 Illegal Firearms in Luanda, Angola
12 February 2011
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
LUANDA — At least 123 fire-arms of various calibres were collected in January in the province of Luanda, part of process of disarmament of citizens in illegal possession of weapons which runs across the country.
According to a report from the technical sub-committee of Luanda that reached Angop, in this period were also collected 36 loaders and 146 ammunitions.
Concerning the surrender and coercive collection of weapons, the note highlights the police units of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
34394
Central Africa
New Central Africa Gun Control Convention Sparks Regional Optimism
22 November 2010
IRIN (UN News)
BRAZZAVILLE - Officials and analysts expressed optimism that a convention signed in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital, on 19 November would succeed in stemming the flow of small arms in central Africa, as long as it is backed by robust implementation measures.
"For the DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] which has suffered the disastrous consequences of the circulation of small arms, a legal instrument such as the Kinshasa Convention is something extremely crucial,"... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
33692
Central Africa,Gabon
UN Anti-crime Body Lauds Gabon's Accession to Arms Trafficking Treaty
22 September 2010
United Nations News Centre
The head of the United Nations crime watchdog today applauded the accession by Gabon to treaties on human and arms trafficking, noting that the move will help strengthen peace and security in Central Africa.
The two pacts are part of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which is under the jurisdiction of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and was adopted in the Italian city of Palermo a decade ago.
Gabon acceded to two of the Convention's... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Nations News Centre
33400
Angola
Over 76,000 Firearms Seized in Angola This Year, New Gun Laws Needed
12 August 2010
Afrique en Ligne
LUANDA, Angola - A total of 76,859 firearms of various types were seized this year by the National Commission for Disarmament of Civilians in Illegal Possession of Arms.
The coordinator of the Technical sub-Commission for Disarmament, Paulo de Almeida, said at the end of a meeting of the National Commission on Wednesday that Luanda continued to lead in the statistics, followed by southern Huila province.
According to police chief-commissioner, Paulo de Almeida, some... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Afrique en Ligne
33170
Central Africa
Small Arms Trafficking Continues to Decrease Stability in Central Africa
29 July 2010
Voice of America
Trafficking in small arms and light weapons is on the rise in parts of Central Africa, say regional sources from the International Action Network against Light Weapons. Members of the group say this proliferation poses an increased threat to stability in the area.
Regional experts who work to combat arms trafficking recently met in Gabon to discuss the increasing threat posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Central Africa.
Based in Central... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Voice of America
33103
Tanzania,Kenya,Rwanda,Congo (DRC),Burundi,Somalia,Ethiopia,Djibouti,Eritrea
Great Lakes and Horn of Africa Nations Add Local Serial Numbers to Guns
3 July 2010
Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
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)
Read More: Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
32962
Zimbabwe,India,Algeria,Chad,Angola,Saudi Arabia,Colombia,Libya,South Africa,Swaziland,Cameroon,United Arab Emirates
South Africa Takes Fire for Gun Sales to Conflict Areas, Blacklisted Nations
1 July 2010
Christian Science Monitor
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa, which has been winning applause for its hosting of the 2010 World Cup, is now coming under fire for another success: global arms sales.
According to the South African watch group, Ceasefire Campaign, South African arms merchants have sold $1.7 billion worth of weapons in the past decade to "problematic" countries that are either involved in internal conflicts or with poor human rights records. The arms sales would appear to be in violation... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Christian Science Monitor
32947
Somalia,United States,Israel,Chad,Panama,Bosnia & Herzegovina
Israeli Gun Dealer Indicted in US, Smuggling Bosnian AK-47s to Somalia
29 June 2010
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry sources adamantly denied yesterday that they were in any way involved in arms shipments to Somalia.
Spokesmen for both ministries were responding to news of the arrest in the U.S. of Hanoch Miller, an Israeli arms merchant, for allegedly illegal arms sales to Somalia, forging documents, money laundering and violating the UN arms embargo on Somalia.
A Defense Ministry spokesman said there is a ban on arms sales to Somalia and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
32903
Angola
Angola Announces Seizure, Destruction of 74,495 Firearms in Past 2 Years
17 June 2010
ReliefWeb / Government of Angola, Media release
NEW YORK – The Angolan permanent representative to the United Nations, Ismael Gaspar Martins, Thursday in New York announced that a total of 74,495 firearms were seized in Angola the last two years, as a result of a Government action to fight the proliferation and trafficking of war material.
Ismael Martins was speaking at the UN 4th Biennial Session on small arms, accompanied by the deputy commander general of the National Police and coordinator of the National... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: ReliefWeb / Government of Angola
32858
Angola
Soldiers Deactivate, Destroy Machine Guns, Explosives, Ammo in Angola
16 May 2010
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
LUCALA, Angola — At least 106 various explosive devices were destroyed on Friday in Lucala locality, in the northern Kwanza Norte Province, by a demining brigade of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).
The referred explosive devices were deactivated from January to April 2010 in "Coreia Dois" area in Lucala locality.
The explosive devices and other lethal materials which were destroyed comprise 22 machine-guns of different calibres, an RPG7, seven projectiles from... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
32688
Congo (DRC)
Firearm Buyback Creates Market, Organisers Drop Gun Price in DR Congo
29 January 2010
Xinhua
KINSHASA -- A "firearms for money" operation will be launched on Jan. 28 in the restive eastern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in the central African country's another bid to restore peace and stability, a source in charge has disclosed.
Pastor Daniel Ngoy Mulunda Nyanga, the initiator of the operation, made the disclosure after a meeting with Governor of North Kivu province Julien Paluku in the provincial capital Goma on Friday.
Each local... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
32024
Togo,Angola,South Africa
"Guns and Football Do Not Go Together"
11 January 2010
Times Live (South Africa)
Head of the 2010 local organising committee (LOC) Danny Jordaan described as "stupid" people who questioned South Africa's security measures for the World Cup after Friday's attack on the Togolese soccer team.
"It doesn't make sense. If a bomb went off in Spain, do you think I should call England to ask about what the impact is on the Olympics England is organising? I think if something happens in France, you'll know it happened in France, not elsewhere," the LOC head... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Times Live (South Africa)
31808
Angola
2 Arrested, 3 Dead in Togo Team Bus Shooting
10 January 2010
BBC News
Angolan authorities have arrested two people over a deadly attack on Togo's football team at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, state media says.
Angola's National Radio reported that two suspects were arrested in the northern province of Cabinda - where Togo's team bus was attacked on Friday.
Cabinda has seen a low-level insurgency for many years.
Two Togolese officials and the Angolan bus driver were killed in Friday's attack and the team has returned home.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
31807
Angola
Togo Team Bus Attacked by Automatic Gunfire, 1 Dead, 9 Hurt
8 January 2010
Associated Press
LUANDA, Angola - Gunmen in an area plagued by separatist violence used machine guns to open fire Friday on a bus carrying Togo's national soccer team to a tournament in this southwest African country, killing the driver and wounding at least nine people, including two players.
Some players said they wanted to pull out of the African Cup of Nations tournament following the violence, but an official in Angola said it would go ahead as planned.
Togo's bus in a convoy... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
31805
Central Africa,East Africa,Kenya,Rwanda,Somalia,Sudan,Uganda,Burundi,Congo (DRC)
Small Arms Control Group Decries 'Huge' Proliferation of Guns in Africa
3 November 2009
Xinhua
NAIROBI — The Regional Center on Small Arms (RECSA) has decried the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Great Lakes region, Horn of Africa and bordering states.
RECSA Executive Secretary Francis Sang noted that the center was working in collaboration with the UN Regional Center for Peace and Disarmament in Africa to promote disarmament.
To address this problem, he said, the governments should support the national, sub-regional, regional and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
31368
Zimbabwe,South Africa,Congo (ROC),Montenegro,United States
US, Congo, Zimbabwe, Montenegro All Involved in Gun Running - Report
12 July 2009
Sunday Independent (South Africa)
Zimbabwe is not only stockpiling modern weapons, but is circumventing sanctions by exporting arms to the US via Eastern Europe, according to a report to be released this week.
According to the International Peace Information Service (IPIS), a Belgian research hub, the situation in Zimbabwe is a good example of why the UN-proposed Arms Trade Treaty needs to be as comprehensive as possible.
Throughout last year, when the political climate was at its most volatile, the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sunday Independent (South Africa)
30515
United Nations,Rwanda,Central Africa,East Africa,Southern Africa
Rwanda to Host UN Global Gun Control Meeting in Kigali, 8-9 July
3 July 2009
United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs / UNODA (New York), Media release
Rwanda will host a United Nations regional meeting on the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons for States of the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region and Southern Africa, on 8 and 9 July, in Kigali, the capital.
The meeting is organized by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), through its United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC) and in collaboration with the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs / UNODA (New York)
30452
Benin,Gabon
Smuggled Bullets Undo Gabon-Benin Arms Trafficking Ring [Fr]
29 June 2009
Fraternité (Cotonou)
COTONOU, Benin — [Translated summary: A boat captain and a Benin resident have been arrested for trafficking in arms, after a local received a package of ammunition shipped from Libreville, Gabon.]
Les armes circulent au Bénin. Et ceci, au nez et à la barbe des forces de sécurité publique. La preuve, le Quai C du port de Cotonou semble devenir la plaque tournante du trafic d'armes. Et un réseau de trafiquants qui défie le renforcement de la sécurité portuaire... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Fraternité (Cotonou)
30433
Cameroon
Communities in Cameroon Urged to Join Global Gun Control Campaign
29 June 2009
Cameroon Tribune
Granting a press briefing in Yaounde recently on the dangers of the gun in most communities, as part of activities of the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence, the Executive director of the Cameroon Youths for Peace (CAMYOSFOP), Eugine Ngalim Nyuydine recalled the United Nations efforts to stop Small Arms and Light weapons (SALW).
Taking questions from journalists on the week long activities against gun violence, he said they were out "to raise awareness,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Cameroon Tribune
30408
Nigeria,Ukraine,Equatorial Guinea
Nigeria Impounds Ukrainian Plane Carrying Guns for Equatorial Guinea
18 June 2009
Reuters
KANO, Nigeria — A Ukrainian cargo plane bound for Equatorial Guinea has been impounded in Nigeria after security officers found weapons and ammunition on board, a Nigerian official and Ukrainian media said.
The official at northern Nigeria's Kano airport, who asked not to be named, said the plane had stopped to refuel late on Wednesday when the arms were discovered during a routine search.
Nigerian police confirmed that an aircraft had been detained but gave no... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
30322
Nigeria,Chad
Four Female Gun Traffickers, Smugglers Hunted by Nigerian Police
10 June 2009
Daily Trust (Abuja)
Four suspected female arms dealers who belong to a syndicate that specialises in supplying arms to armed robbers in different parts of the country, especially in the North-east have been declared wanted by the Taraba State Police command.
Taraba Police Commissioner, Aliyu Musa, who made this known to Daily Trust in Jalingo yesterday gave the names of the suspects as Awotu, Akudi, Abanyi and Akwen.
He said all of them belong to the same family and hail from Wukari... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Trust (Abuja)
30269
Central African Republic
Under the Gun - Violence and Displacement in Central African Republic
28 May 2009
IRIN (UN News)
NAIROBI — The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in the throes of a humanitarian crisis for more than a decade. Army mutinies, coups and attempted coups, rebellions, gangs that kidnap for ransom and, more recently, elements of Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army have made life for civilians, especially in the north, extremely challenging, unpredictable, and very dangerous.
As IRIN's new documentary film, Under the Gun, demonstrates, many Central Africans... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
30240
Angola
Over 55,000 Guns Collected, Destroyed in Angola During the Past Year
25 May 2009
Angola Press Agency
LUANDA — The National Disarmament Commission collected since the start of this process in 2008 about 55,754 fire-arms, 204,270 ammunitions and 15,781 explosives, informed Monday in Luanda the Second National Police Commander, Paulo de Almeida.
The official gave these data during a lecture that delivered on the theme "Disarmament of the civilian population in Angola", in the ambit of the conference on "Peace, reconciliation and reconstruction in the African... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency
30133
Angola
55,064 Illegal Guns Collected, 60 Convicted of Possession in Angola
17 April 2009
Angola Press
LUANDA — Some sixty people were sentenced this year by the Court to correctional terms of six to seven months of effective prison for illegal possession of firearms, said Friday the second commander-general of National Police, Paulo de Almeida.
Speaking to Angop, at the first anniversary of the approval of Government's programme for disarmament of the population, the commissioner de Almeida announced the need to work hard toward taking measures of the criminal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press
29914
Congo (DRC)
Guns Empower Rapists, Drive HIV/Aids, Rob Congo Families of Future
5 March 2009
Daily Nation (Nairobi), Opinion
The horror of sexual violence that has blighted the lives of women and girls in DR Congo is nowhere more apparent than at Panzi Hospital, in Bukavu. The first thing that strikes you is the long queue of women.
In some parts of East Congo, three out of four women have been raped during the 14 years of conflict.
Panzi is East Congo's leading referral hospital for rape survivors, who constitute over two thirds of its patients.
Doctors there began vaginal... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Nation (Nairobi)
29588
Congo (ROC)
Congo Pays US$200 Each to Buy Back, Destroy 3,000 Assault Weapons
4 March 2009
IRIN (UN News)
BRAZZAVILLE — At least 2,800 weapons recovered from ex-combatants in a three-week operation in the southern Pool region, site of several civil wars between 1998 and 2003, have been destroyed, according to a government official.
"On Monday afternoon, in Kinkala, we incinerated some 2,873 weapons collected from ninja ex-combatants in the Pool region," Moandzibi Olingoba, the commissioner in charge of the economic reintegration of former fighters, told IRIN on 2 March.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
29392
Congo (ROC)
Congo Gun Amnesty, Buyback to Collect 3,000 Weapons for Destruction
13 February 2009
IRIN (UN News)
BRAZZAVILE — The Congolese government has started an operation to buy 3,000 weapons from ex-combatants and others illegally possessing weapons in the Pool region, southern Congo, an official told IRIN on 11 February.
"Teams have been deployed on the ground. The operation to buy up the weapons started on 10 February in Pool region. It should allow the purchase of at least 3,000 weapons still in circulation in this zone," Moandzibi Olingoba, commissioner in charge of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
29203
Congo (DRC)
Rebel Attacks Fuel Illegal Gun, Ammunition Factories in Eastern Congo
12 February 2009
San Francisco Chronicle
BANGADI, Congo — The weapons on display are all homemade: menacing-looking hunting knives, lances made of sticks topped with metal spears, long-barrelled shotguns.
For decades, people in this Congolese town have made guns. But the industry has become a roaring business as people in this remote northeastern region arm themselves against the fearsome rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army.
In this town overrun by refugees from attacks on surrounding villages, master... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: San Francisco Chronicle
29199
Nigeria,Chad
West African Gun Smuggling Route Was Run by a Woman from Chad
8 February 2009
Daily Trust (Abuja)
KANO, Nigeria — Last week, a hunter and crime buster, Ali Kwara, cracked down on a robbery gang that led to the arrest of a man who claimed to be a supplier of arms and ammunitions to robbers and ethno-religious warlords during crises. In this chat with Sunday Trust, Sarki Azetu, 31, gives shocking revelations.
As a fisherman in a small village in Benue, Sarki Azetu was that dexterous with net, and according to him, his cast was also superb.
But that, however, was... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Trust (Abuja)
29160
Congo (DRC)
Congo Buyback Collects 3,000 Guns, Mainly from Women: Many Stolen?
15 December 2008
IRIN (UN News)
KINSHASA — Hundreds of people in Kinshasa have handed over illegal weapons for cash and cloth in a no-questions-asked campaign to reduce crime in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
AK-47 automatic rifles, Uzi sub-machine guns and rocket launchers were among the 3,000 or so weapons collected over the past three weeks by the Ecumenical Programme for Peace, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (PAREC), an NGO.
Those in working order were handed over to the police,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
28942
Angola
Amnesty Yields 1,589 'Freely Surrendered' Illegal Guns in Angola
15 November 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
ONDJIVA — At least 1,589 firearms of assorted calibers were freely surrendered to the National Police in Ondjiva, southern Cunene province, under the second phase of the National Campaign of Disarming of People in illegal Possession of Firearms.
The information was released to Angop by the coordinator of the sub-technical commission for disarming, Domingos Francisco Adão.
The officer said that the weapons were surrendered at police stations in the districts of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
28657
Angola
219 Guns Surrendered to Angola Police Considered 'Very Little' Result
18 August 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
LUANDA — At least 219 firearms have been surrendered to the National Police in Luanda's high density Sambizanga district, since the beginning of the disarming process, a source from the corporation has announced.
According to the second commander of the local police, who presented this figures while addressing the theme "Disarming of civilian is a public security matters", considered the figure as very little, taking into account the number of inhabitants and crimes... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
28005
Angola
23,444 Guns Seized from Civilians, Stored by Government, Angola Tells UN
17 July 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 and light weapons control.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
27720
Angola
Government Announces Forcible Disarming of Civilians in Angola
7 July 2008
Angola Press Agency
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 Dias dos Santos.
According to a... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency
27624
Angola
Citizens Voluntarily Hand Over 787 Guns Prior to 'Coercive Phase' in Angola
3 June 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 with 104.
Among the materials, he... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
27276
Angola
Gun Amnesty Collects 1,654 Illegal Firearms for Destruction in Angola
15 May 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 several ammunitions were equally... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
27092
Angola
Illegal Guns Slow Angola's National Reconciliation: Disarmament the Answer
6 May 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 also explained that disarming the population... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
27033
United Nations,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
30 April 2008
Economist
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 and South Africa, for example, is... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Economist
26993
Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,United States,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia
China Says Ship Carrying Ammunition, Guns to Zimbabwe May Head Home
22 April 2008
Associated Press
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 on its opposition.
Zimbabwean church... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26943
Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,United States,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia
Gun Cargo Rejection 'Dramatic Turn' for Africa's Embrace of Zimbabwe
22 April 2008
Washington Post
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 President Robert Mugabe and its... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Washington Post
26941
Zimbabwe,China,South Africa,Mozambique,Angola,Namibia,Zambia
Chinese Ammunition 'Ship of Shame' Adrift in Southern African Controversy
22 April 2008
IRIN (UN News)
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 of Shame" — is now en route to the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
26940
United States,Zimbabwe,South Africa,Mozambique,Zambia,Angola,China
Southern African Ports Shun Ship Carrying Guns to Zimbabwe; US Agrees
22 April 2008
Los Angeles Times / Chicago Tribune
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 in the region today, will urge... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Los Angeles Times / Chicago Tribune
26937
United States,Zimbabwe,Mozambique,Namibia,Angola,South Africa,China
US Seeks to Block Zimbabwe-bound Chinese Ammunition, Gun Shipment
22 April 2008
Associated Press
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 to step up pressure on President... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26927
East Africa,Kenya,Uganda,Tanzania,Rwanda,Burundi,Somalia,Sudan,Seychelles,Eritrea,Djibouti,Ethiopia,Congo (DRC)
East African Nations Will Mark All State-owned Guns to Reduce Leakage
21 April 2008
East African (Nairobi)
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)
Read More: East African (Nairobi)
28206
Zimbabwe,South Africa,Angola,China
South African Court, Unions, NGOs Block Guns, Ammo Cargo to Zimbabwe
20 April 2008
Scotland on Sunday
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 to have any dealings with the deadly cargo,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Scotland on Sunday
26898
Angola
Another 668 Civilian Guns Voluntarily Surrendered for Destruction in Angola
14 April 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 50 percent of the firearms were handed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26860
Italy,Libya,Chad,Sudan,China
Libya Tried to Buy 1 Million Chinese Assault Rifles, Perhaps for Chad, Sudan
13 April 2008
Associated Press
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 dealers from across Italy for a year before... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Associated Press
26820
Angola
Angolan Government, NGOs Warn Civilians to Surrender Their Illegal Guns
6 March 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 the Home Affairs Ministry, at the Palace... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26377
Angola
Angolan Govt Will Disarm Civilians, Then Destroy or Recirculate Their Guns
6 March 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 consist in the organisation and awareness... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26371
Angola
Angola Presses Ahead with Campaign to Disarm Civilians, Seize Illegal Guns
4 March 2008
Angola Press
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 will happen under the theme "Disarmed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press
26299
Congo (ROC)
Congolese Troops Collect, Destroy Surplus Guns, Ammunition, Explosives
28 February 2008
IRIN (UN News)
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 on the ground after the events of 1997,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
26239
Angola
Angola Debates Law to Disarm Citizens in Possession of Illegal Guns
26 February 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 controversy.
Some press organs have... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26257
Sudan,China,Chad,Austria
Guns, Grenade Launchers in Chad, Darfur Traced Back to China, Austria
22 February 2008
Mother Jones (USA)
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 Chad. The Sudanese government,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Mother Jones (USA)
26202
Congo (DRC)
UN Experts Call for Increased Monitoring of Gun-running to Congo, Africa
19 February 2008
UN News Service (New York)
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 fashion."
The report was written based... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: UN News Service (New York)
26192
Angola
Angola Plans 'Guns for Development' Weapon Collection, Destruction
30 January 2008
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 seminar), voluntary surrender of weapons and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
26000
United States,Congo (DRC)
Diplomats from Congo Buy 30 Handguns, Ammo at New York Gun Shop
16 October 2007
Village Voice (New York)
The black Lincoln Town Car's tinted windows obscured the passengers as it left Chinatown one afternoon late in September. Inside were three diplomats from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their newly purchased cache of more than 30 military-style handguns.
What better Gotham souvenir to bring home to the kids than a cocked and locked Colt .45?
More likely, the men needed the weapons either to combat or to aid an alphabet soup of rival militias like the ADF,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Village Voice (New York)
30684
Angola,United States
US Govt Paid to Destroy Over 600 Tonnes of Guns, Ammunition in Angola
9 July 2007
Angola Press Agency
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 of a million arms across the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency
24104
Angola,United States,Africa
US Embassy in Angola Hosts 'Million Weapons' Gun Destruction Day
9 July 2007
Angola Press Agency
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 where the USA has an active programme of... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency
24089
Angola,United States,Africa
Angola Hails Millionth Weapon Destroyed in US-funded Gun Burn [Fr]
8 July 2007
Angola Press
[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 cette Journée à l'abri du programme... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press
24084
Congo (ROC)
Illegal Guns Could Threaten Elections in Republic of Congo
2 April 2007
IRIN (UN News)
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 Nations Development Programme... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
23236
Niger,Nigeria,Chad
Chad, Niger, Nigeria Address Global Scourge of Gun Trafficking
7 March 2007
IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
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 small arms handed in by people in... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News) / Reuters
22965
East Africa,Central Africa
East African, Central African Nations Meet to Curb Global Gun Trade
3 March 2007
Reporter (Addis Ababa)
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 by the Regional Centre on Small... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reporter (Addis Ababa)
22922
Congo (ROC)
Japan Funds Republic of Congo's Gun Retrieval, Disarmament Agency
28 February 2007
IRIN (UN News)
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 the scope of the disarmament,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
22878
Congo (ROC)
Congo-Brazzaville Rail Disruptions Halt Gun Retrieval Scheme
23 November 2006
IRIN (UN News)
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. This has made it difficult for the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
22192
Chad
Chad Orders Clampdown on Illegal Guns as Ethnic Violence Flares
14 November 2006
Reuters
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 this month have killed... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Reuters
22133
Congo (DRC),Russia
Russian Gun Runner Viktor Bout Denies Trafficking Arms to Congo
4 November 2006
Moscow News
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, violating international laws on... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Moscow News
22085
Congo (DRC),United Nations
Congo Rebels Use Guns, Bullets from South Africa, US, China, Russia
16 October 2006
Sunday Times (South Africa) / AFP
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.
Its research, it said, exposes the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Sunday Times (South Africa) / AFP
21878
Congo (DRC),United States,United Nations
Global Gun Trade Chart Published in New York Times
5 September 2006
New York Times, Opinion
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 from small arms occurs worldwide.... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New York Times
21441
Congo (DRC)
30,000 Ex-Fighters in Congo (DRC) Ready to Give Up Guns, Reintegrate
31 August 2006
IRIN (UN News)
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 to criminality, he seized an opportunity to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
21415
Congo (DRC)
'Guns for Bikes' Swap Scheme More Successful than UN Congo Campaign
14 July 2006
BBC News
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 successful than the UN disarmament exercise,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: BBC News
21089
Angola
At Inter-Parliamentary Union, Angola Reaffirms Fight Against Gun Trade
8 May 2006
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 reinforcement of the fight against the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
20332
Uganda,Congo (DRC)
Uganda Blocking Small Arms, Ammunition Investigations, Says UN
4 April 2006
Daily Monitor (Kampala)
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 2004, a year after an arms embargo was slapped... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Monitor (Kampala)
20047
Angola,West Africa
Experts Endorse Draft Small Arms Convention for West Africa
14 March 2006
Xinhua
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 in October 1998, the 15-member... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Xinhua
19870
Angola
Easy Access to Guns a Concern as Angolan Election Nears
13 March 2006
IRIN (UN News)
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 held by Angolans.
No-one knows for... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
19869
Uganda,East Africa,Central Africa
Great Lakes Countries Meet to Plan Destruction of Firearms
6 February 2006
Daily Monitor (Kampala)
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 because they are cheap to procure and easy to... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Daily Monitor (Kampala)
19499
Angola
Angolans Hand Over Guns, as Population Returns to Peace
3 February 2006
Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
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 believe in peace.
"It is not... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
19498
Congo (ROC)
World Bank Grant to Help Disarm 30,000 Congolese Ex-Fighters
4 January 2006
IRIN (UN News)
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 Reintegration. The World Bank... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
19221
Congo (DRC),Rwanda,Burundi
Central African MPs Discuss Regional Illicit Small Arms Legislation
13 November 2005
New Times (Kigali)
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.
"Some countries had not ratified the... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: New Times (Kigali)
18785
Congo (DRC),United Nations,Uganda
UN Mission Warns of Sanctions If Guns Not Surrendered, Destroyed
9 November 2005
IRIN (UN News)
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 region on Saturday with stops in the DRC,... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
18750
Africa,Angola,Botswana,Congo (DRC),Lesotho,Malawi,Mozambique,Namibia,South Africa,Swaziland,Tanzania,Zambia,Zimbabwe
Tighter Gun Control on Southern African Borders
30 September 2005
Independent (South Africa)
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 the illicit manufacturing of firearms and... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Independent (South Africa)
18309
Rwanda,Uganda,Congo (DRC)
Rwanda, Uganda Refute UN Report on Arms to DRC
28 July 2005
IRIN (UN News)
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."
The main concern of the report by... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: IRIN (UN News)
17826
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