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FROM THE FIELD

MAG Burundi report - October
16 Nov 2009 10:56:00 GMT
 Source: MAG (Mines Advisory Group)
Website: Website: http://www.maginternational.org/burundi

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The PNB liaison officer supervises an armourer while he puts the weapons on the gun racks newly installed by MAG, Kayanza, Police Region North
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The PNB liaison officer supervises an armourer while he puts the weapons on the gun racks newly installed by MAG, Kayanza, Police Region North
MAG Burundi

Background

•  Burundi transition

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Summary, 1-31 October:

- Destruction of 284 weapons at the Weapons Destruction Workshop;

- Collection of 349 weapons, 224 magazines, 532 ammunition and 7,548 SAA from the PNB stocks by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Collection of 17 weapons, 16 magazines, 411 ammunition and 1,239 SAA handed-over by the population to the CDCPA by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Destruction of 1,048 ammunition and 20,000 SAA by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Improvement to the physical security of 10 PNB armouries by the MAG physical security team.

The Dutch-funded MAG-Police Nationale du Burundi (PNB) mobile team worked to collect and destroy surplus and obsolete PNB-owned Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), as well as some handed-over by the population during the civilian disarmament campaign.

The team destroyed this month the 10,000th hand grenade since the beginning of the year, a significant achievement in regards of the frequent grenade attacks in Burundi.

The Physical Security team, now also funded by the Dutch Government, started to work in the Police Region North where they improved security in 10 PNB armouries.

At the weapons destruction workshop, 284 weapons from the PNB were destroyed. It is important to note that the weapons were in a good state, meaning it is the first time that surplus weapons are destroyed in Burundi.

In the past, obsolete, seized and handed-over weapons have been destroyed, but no strictly speaking "surplus" weapons.

Upon request from the National Commission on SALW and Civilian Disarmament (CDCPA), the MAG technicians offered a one-day training to 48 heads of police stations in areas where the collects from the population were estimated to yield the most significant results.

The policemen learned how to distinguish very dangerous ammunition, how to receive weapons in safety, and how to deal with them awaiting MAG's intervention.

Finally, MAG would like to thank the Swiss Government for the confirmation of a grant to conduct the survey of Force de Defense Nationale (FDN) SALW, the phase 1 of a comprehensive Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) project with the FDN in the framework of the Nairobi Protocol. The survey will capitalise on the methodology developed during the survey of PNB SALW which took place in 2008. Starting in 2010, donor contributions will be required for the implementation of solutions derived from the survey conclusions.

MAG would like to express its gratitude to the following current donors to the Burundi programme: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Swiss Government.




[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Topics

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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