A ceremony to mark the destruction of the 100,000th weapon by MAG in partnership with the Congolese Ministries of Interior, Defence and Foreign Affairs has been held in Kinshasa.
MAG launched its Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal (CWMD) operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2006, with the joint MAG-FARDC teams passing the important milestone last year.
The ceremony at the DRC General Police Inspection featured a demonstration of the marking process - whereby MAG-trained FARDC technicians check and register surplus stocks before destroying them - and the symbolic destruction of an AK-47 assault rifle, illustrating how weapons are put beyond any future use to dignitaries, including representatives from the US, UK and Dutch embassies.
This was followed by the handover of three marking machines, to officially launch the weapon marking campaign MAG expects to be part of.
"Today's event is really important to show that positive steps towards peace and safety are being taken by the authorities here," said MAG DRC's Programme Manager Sebastien Cazenave.
"It is great that MAG has been able to play an important role in saving people from the threat of these weapons, and we are grateful for the support of the American and Dutch governments, as well as the strong collaboration with the Congolese authorities, that made this achievement possible."
Said Phillip Nelson, US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission: "The DRC has been plagued with a multitude of armed rebel groups over the last two decades. It was the battlefield of Africa's first world war between 1997 and 2003. Insecurity persists in different parts of the country. In an environment like this, there is bound to be an abundance of weapons.
"In addition, state authority in many regions is weak, and there are significant infrastructure challenges in such a large country. MAG has been the instrumental bridge to help the DRC overcome many of these obstacles."
MAG is the largest actor in the CWMD field in DRC, working hand in hand with the Congolese authorities since 2006 to make arms and ammunition management more secure and accountable, and to reduce the risks currently posed by poorly maintained stockpiles.
We currently operate one mobile CWMD team, a mobile stockpile assessment team and a destruction team based at the Logistics Central Base in the capital, under funding from the US Department of State's Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement and the Dutch Government.
Between 2006 and June 2010 more than 105,000 arms and 670 tons of ammunition were destroyed.
We have also started a year-long Physical Storage and Stockpile Management (PSSM) project funded by the Dutch Government. This will put in place national PSSM standards and a training programme - including basic security and control procedures - for stockpile managers at the Ordnance Department of the Logistics School in Kinshasa (rehabilitated with UK Ministry of Defence funding). Assessments of ammunition depots throughout the country will also begin.
"There remains a very long way to go before all communities in the DRC are free from the threat of remnants of conflict," said Sebastien. "But MAG remains committed to maintaining our work and our partnerships, and to further reducing the numbers of weapons out there, still putting people at risk."