Co-organized by the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the Small Arms Survey, this event highlighted the importance of accurately diagnosing the problem of illicit ammunition flows for effective policymaking and law enforcement. Indeed, international efforts to tackle trafficking in firearms tend to focus on the weapons and place less emphasis on the associated ammunition, in spite of the latter’s importance in enabling firearm-related crime and violence.

This webinar on weapons and explosives in North and West Africa was organized by the Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project. It is the first of a 5-part series of SANA Expert Briefings.

Small Arms Survey expert David Lochhead joins moderator Alaa Tartir (SANA Project Lead) for this discussion.The briefing was held on 11 May 2021 via Zoom.

The Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets looks at what is changing, and not changing, in relation to armed violence and small arms proliferation. Chapters on firearm homicide in Latin America and the Caribbean, drug violence in selected Latin American countries, and non-lethal violence worldwide illustrate that security is a moving target; armed violence continues to undermine security and well-being around the world. The goal of curbing small arms proliferation, embodied in the UN Programme of Action, appears similarly elusive.

The Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers explores the many faces of armed violence outside the context of conflict. Chapters on the use of firearms in intimate partner violence, the evolution of gangs in Nicaragua, Italian organized crime groups, and trends in armed violence in South Africa describe the dynamics and effects of gun violence in the home and on the street.

Small arms trafficking across the western half of the border between Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has remained largely unexamined. The legacy of armed conflict in both countries, the presence of armed groups such as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on both sides of the border, and poor border control would suggest the possibility of a robust trade in small arms.

Making the Rounds: Illicit Ammunition in Ukraine finds that thousands of hand grenades, rockets, mortar rounds, landmines, and tins of firearms cartridges have proliferated throughout Ukraine, including to areas located far from the conflict zone in the east.

Sudan is at the epicentre of one of the world’s most dynamic arms markets. Protracted armed conflicts throughout the Horn of Africa have generated chronic armed violence and rates of internal displacement and refugee flows that are among the highest on record. There appears to be a robust association between arms availability and persistent insecurity in the region that has contributed to the militarization of its communities and the prolongation of many ongoing cross-border and internal conflicts.

In response to the major threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK/North Korea) to international peace and security, the UN Security Council has established a range of multilateral sanctions on the country—including an arms embargo. However, North Korea continues to systematically circumvent and evade these sanctions through a variety of means and techniques. A new resource from the Small Arms Survey provides an overview of such techniques with a view to aid stakeholders strengthen their implementation and enforcement of the sanctions regime.

The tri-border area between Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mali has long been an important zone of commerce for West Africa, and a key transit route for the trade flowing between the Gulf of Guinea, the Sahara, Sahel, and Mediterranean.

Les institutions forensiques ont un rôle important à jouer dans les enquêtes criminelles, mais aussi, plus généralement, dans la lutte contre la prolifération des armes illicites. Mais elles ne peuvent le jouer que quand elles en ont les moyens. Cette réalité n’est pas toujours bien comprise, mais elle est prise en considération dans une note d’information portant sur les institutions forensiques guinéennes.