ReliefWeb

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 and 8.

This month MAG was pleased to receive a contract from UNDP to collect and destroy SALW handed-over by the population to the National Commission for Civilian Disarmament and SALW (CDCPA) during the civilian disarmament campaign. The MAG-Police Nationale du Burundi (PNB) mobile team collected in just one week 559 weapons, 1,470 magazines, 1,055 ammunition (including 1,034 hand-grenades) and 40,602 Small Arms Ammunitions (SAA) from police stations in Bujumbura Mairie.

Implementation of the comprehensive Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) project with the PNB continued in Region North with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The MAG-PNB mobile team collected surplus and obsolete PNB-owned SALW: 18 weapons, 23 magazines, 356 ammunition and 9,310 SAA. During the same period, the Physical Security team improved security in 15 PNB armouries. Work is almost complete in Police Region North, and it is expected the teams will move to Region East in January 2010.

Finally, thanks to funding from the Swiss Government MAG hosted the visit of a Professor and a student from the French Engineering College Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Metiers (ENSAM) to conduct a feasibility study for recycling in Burundi the scrap metal originating from weapons destruction by smelting it to produce agricultural tools and other objects. This project could eventually employ former combatants to support their reintegration in civilian life.

A summary of outputs is as follows:

- Collection of 18 weapons, 23 magazines, 356 ammunition and 9,310 SAA from PNB stocks by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Collection of 559 weapons, 1,470 magazines, 1,055 ammunition and 40,602 SAA handed-over by the population to the CDCPA by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Destruction of 1,342 ammunition by the MAG-PNB mobile team;

- Improvement to the physical security of 15 PNB armouries by the MAG physical security team;

- Refresher training on weapons transport and first aid for the MAG-PNB mobile team.