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MAG is currently responding to the ammunition explosion in Congo-Brazzaville.
MAG works in Congo-Brazzaville, where we have close contact with the authorities. Our current operations, funded by the European Union, are responding to the legacy of previous similar munitions depot explosions.
This tragedy is the latest in a series of unplanned explosions at munitions sites around the world. MAG is preparing to provide immediate technical assistance in response to this emergency, as we have done in recent years in Tanzania and elsewhere.
MAG staff on the ground in Brazzaville are standing ready to assist, with further specialist expertise already in the air to join them. It is clear that international support will be needed to reduce the risk of further loss of life in this emergency, and MAG calls on the international donor community to make rapid decisions to support the people of the Republic of Congo in regard.
The suffering and damage caused by these incidents underlines the importance of storing munitions safely and also the importance of providing states with the technical support that can enable them to do so.
Technical assistance to governments from NGOs is now a central part of global efforts to ensure effective Physical Security and Stockpile Management of munitions and Small Arms and Light Weapons. MAG calls on states, and other stakeholders in the global disarmament community, to assure and enable access to such technical assistance to prevent further suffering and loss of life.
