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MAG November report: Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal

by MAG | MAG (Mines Advisory Group)
Thursday, 16 December 2010 13:15 GMT

* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Burundi MAG Burundi started in 2007 with a programme to support the Government of Burundi in reducing the threat of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and unsecured stockpiles. MAG is currently offering technical support to the Weapons Destruction Workshop and supporting the Burundian Government in implementing the Nairobi Protocol, Articles 6, 7, 8 and 9. The comprehensive Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) project with the Police Nationale du Burundi (PNB) in Region Centre, funded by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continued this month in the provinces of Gitega and Ruyigi. The MAG-Civilian Defence (CD) mobile team collected 131 weapons, 292 magazines, 1,299 items of ammunition and 29,921 Small Arms Ammunition (SAA) and destroyed 463 items of ammunition and 100,000 SAA. The physical security team improved the security of SALW in 17 armouries. The PSSM project with the PNB will be completed mid-December. In addition, the training of the Army SALW survey team continued this month with funding from the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs. The survey is expected to start in December. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) MAG DRC launched a nationwide CWMD programme in September 2006 and in May 2007 received written authorisation from the Ministry of Defence to destroy surplus military stocks in all Military Regions. Also in May 2007, a destruction centre was established by MAG at the Central Logistics Base in Kinshasa. In September 2008 MAG received written authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior (extended in April 2009) to commence CWMD activities with the Congolese National Police. MAG DRC is currently operating two mobile CWMD teams, a mobile stockpile assessment team, and the destruction team based at the Logistics Central Base under funding from the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. Under funding from the Dutch Government, MAG is also creating official national Physical Storage and Stockpile Management (PSSM) standards, providing training in these standards and undertaking the evaluation and refurbishment of ammunition stockpiles. Under MAG’s year-long PSSM project, funded by the Dutch Government, the FARDC/PNC finished reviewing the national norms which will be presented to appropriate authorities in December. The MAG team continues to work with the FARDC working group from the Ordinance Department of the Logistics School in Kinshasa to develop a PSSM training programme. An ammunition stockpile at Camp Kokolo has been assessed and an alternative location identified for the reconstruction of the depot. Reconstruction plans are currently being drafted. The rehabilitation of the arms destruction workshop continued during November. The team is currently drawing up rehabilitation plans for the armoury in Camp Kokolo. Finally, an Ammunition Stockpile Risk and Impact Assessment Manual has been drafted and is currently under review. The assessment of risk and impact of potential interventions in Camp Kokolo is currently ongoing. Under the US Department of State Funding, two mobile destruction teams were active during the month of November, destroying 21 tons of ammunition in North Kivu. Additionally, the Arms Destruction Workshop destroyed an additional 800 arms during November. Iraq MAG Iraq started implementing the CWMD programme in August 2007 with the support of US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. To date, MAG Iraq CWD teams have successfully responded to more than 10,020 emergency tasks to safely remove and destroy 293,810 CW items. Since it began, MAG Iraq's CWMD programme has directly benefited more than a million individuals. MAG’s Small Arms and Light Weapons Risk Education (SALW RE) programme began with RE sessions in schools in July 2008. Working with local partners, MAG’s SALW RE warns children of the threats of playing with SALW, with the aim of reducing the risk to children in homes with unguarded SALW. In November, four CWD response teams continued operations, deploying to reported stockpiles of CW. Teams deployed 124 times from the programme’s three operation bases to 88 different villages, completing 203 emergency conventional weapons destruction tasks in Sulimaniyah, Dohuk, Mosul, Diyala and Kirkuk Governorates. This month, 4,629 CW were safely destroyed. Items included items of 70mm PG, anti-personnel landmines, anti-tank landmines, fuses, mortars, projectiles and small arms ammunition in addition to several other types of unexploded ordnance. Teams destroyed 30 stockpiles. In Sulimaniyah, CWD teams deployed to three villages of Chwarta sub-district, to safely remove and destroy eight stockpiles containing 2,598 items of CW. Teams in Dohuk deployed to Domez, a collective town in Ninewa (Mosul) governorate, to safely remove and destroy two stockpiles containing 111 items of CW. The items were posing significant threat to the local communities. The dedicated MAG Community Liaison (CL) teams funded by WRA conducted 16 liaison visits to 15 different villages in Kirkuk and Sulimaniyah, liaising with local authorities, farmers, shepherds, teachers, village leaders and other villagers. MAG CL teams conducted five SALW RE session to 52 villagers in Sulimaniyah and Dohuk governorates. Rwanda MAG started CWMD activities in Rwanda in November 2008. MAG is providing technical assistance and training to the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) in basic stockpile management and the destruction of surplus SALW and munitions. MAG has established a central weapons destruction workshop at Kanombe near Kigali and trained two RDF teams in weapons recognition and weapons cutting. A central demolition site for the destruction of munitions has been identified at Gabiro in north-east Rwanda. Operations re-started in September 2010 with a grant from the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. MAG Rwanda continues preparation for the IMAS EOD 3 course, alongside the Stockpile Management Courses. It is hoped that destruction activities will begin in the New Year. Somalia MAG commenced its CWMD activities in the Puntland region of Somalia in May 2008 with funding from the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. MAG trained an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team consisting of seven Puntland Police officers and further provided technical assistance and equipment for the team performing CWMD activities throughout Puntland. All training and field operations are carried out in close coordination with the national governing authority the Puntland Mine Action Centre (PMAC). With further funding from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, activities in Puntland re-started in September 2009. The UK Government’s Conflict Prevention Pool (CPP) is providing funding for additional Community Liaison Teams and survey activities from August 2010. In November, the Conventional Weapons Clearance and Destruction Project, funded by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, continued working in Puntland State of Somalia. Spot tasks have been carried out in a number of locations including Garowe town and Bossasso district. The EOD team carried out an extensive Battle Area Clearance task in the community of Caarmo, clearing a total of 2,500 square metres, and also successfully completed a week-long UN accreditation. The month’s most exciting development has been the full capacity deployment of three Community Liaison/Mine Risk Education (MRE) teams across the country, funded by the UK Government’s Conflict Prevention Pool. They have undertaken the ambitious task of conducting MRE with 92 communities across Puntland. So far they have covered over 20 communities ranging from the far northern region of Bossasso, to the southern border town of Galcaio. Sudan MAG has been implementing CWMD activities in Sudan since 2005. There are two specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, funded by the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in southern Sudan. One team (MAT1) concentrates on operations in Central and Western Equatoria, while the second team (MAT2) concentrates on operations in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria from the Kapoeta base. Additionally, MAG has eight Multi-Task Teams (MTTs) and twelve Community Liaison (CL) Teams operating in Kassala, Blue Nile and Greater Equatoria. While the MTTs primarily focus on minefield survey and clearance, they also carry out CW disposal as necessary. MAG Sudan conducts integrated operations and the CL teams are the main generators of UXO Dangerous Area Reports which are cleared by the MAG technical teams. In southern Sudan, MAT1 (funded by the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement) spent the majority of the month in Yei County and completed 31 Spot Tasks, clearing 104 items in Central Equatoria benefiting 1,130 people. The team successfully passed UN accreditation. MAT2 (Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement) completed eight Spot Tasks destroying 10 items in Eastern Equatoria benefiting 120 people, and also passed UN accreditation. The outputs of MAT2 are lower this month as the international Technical Field Manager was on leave. The CL teams collected 19 new DA reports this month. In northern Sudan, MTT2 completed seven Spot Tasks, destroying seven items in communities surrounding Kassala town. CL teams 10, 12 and 13 successfully completed UNMAO and NMAC accreditation this month, subsequently generating four new DA reports. MAG thanks the following current donors to its CWMD projects around the globe: • Belgian Government • CIDA • DFAIT (Canadian Dept of Foreign Affairs and International trade) • DFID • Dutch Government • ECHO • GOAL • Spanish Government • Swiss Government • UK Government, Conflict Prevention Pool • UN CHF • United States Department of State, Political Military Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement • United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration For more information on MAG's work please visit www.maginternational.org.

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