Burundi’s 12-year civil war has left the country in a state of underdevelopment and insecurity.
One of the consequences of the war has been the widespread proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW).
Nearly 100,000 households in Burundi are thought to possess SALW and some households may possess more than one weapon1. This is a major concern, not only due to heightened levels of violent crime, but also because the availability of arms at a time of ongoing political insecurity increases the risk of a return to conflict.
Tensions are already visible in the approach of the 2010 elections, with arson attacks on party offices and youth groups being trained as militias. The Burundian Commission de Desarmement Civil et de Lutte contre la Proliferation des Armes Legeres et de Petit Calibre (CDCPA) reported in March 2009 that the Burundian population is afraid that there will be a return to violence in the lead up to the elections2, a concern shared by the international community and national authorities.
The weapons and ammunition already in circulation among the civilian population do not represent the only source of armament for potential peace spoilers: the unsecure SALW of the security forces, and especially those of the Police Nationale Burundaise (PNB), represent a significant threat. The UN Secretary General recently stated that: “Leaking Government stockpiles are prominent sources of illegal small arms in circulation”3. PNB and Forces de Defense Nationale (FDN) SALW stocks could attract thieves, but also, weapons are being trafficked by the national security forces4.
MAG works in Burundi to reduce the threat posed by the state-owned SALW, within the legal framework of the Nairobi Protocol ratified by Burundi in March 2006.
Notes:
1 Small Arms in Burundi, Disarming the Civilian Population in Peacetime, A Study by the Small Arms Survey and the Ligue Iteka with support from the UNDP-Burundi and Oxfam-NOVIB, Stéphanie Pézard and Nicolas Florquin, August 2007. This estimate takes into account all small arms and light weapons, and also grenades.
2 Atelier d’evaluation de la mise en oeuvre par le Burundi de la declaration et du protocole de Nairobi – presentation liminaire. Gerard Mfuranzima. CDCPA, 4 March 2009.
3 Small Arms. Report of the Secretary General. United Nations Security Council. 17 April 2008. P. 6
4 Un ménage sur 80 serait armé au Burundi, selon une ONG, Centre d’Alerte et de Prevention des Conflits (CENAP), 8 October 2008 http://www.arib.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=333&Itemid=76
March 2009
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