MAG has installed the first prefabricated armoury cabinets at a Congolese National Police (PNC) detachment, which provides security at the Makala central prison in Kinshasa.

In accordance with priorities as established by the General Inspection of the Congolese National Police, the Makala detachment is part of the first unit to be reinforced and equipped.

This milestone event represents close collaboration, and subsequent concrete results, between MAG and the General Inspection of the Congolese National Police as part of a key weapon securitisation initiative in DRC, particularly before the presidential elections scheduled for 28 November, when concerns over the security of state-controlled arms have been raised.

The project, supported by UNDP and the German Government, and under the coordination of the National Commission for Control of Small Arms and Small Arms (CNC), aims to improve the security conditions of weapons held by the State pursuant to the Nairobi Protocol for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, to which the DRC is a signatory. This is of critical importance in ensuring Human Security and Armed Violence Reduction in the DRC in support of national Security Sector Reform (SSR).

Through activities undertaken as part of this project, MAG is establishing the necessary baseline assessment and technical capacity to facilitate the safe storage and marking of operational firearms in DRC, in order to curb the illicit sale and trafficking of weapons and ensure the protection of civilians. This project is facilitating similar initiatives in partnership with the Armed Forces of the Republic of Congo (FARDC).

 In accordance with priorities as established by the General Inspection of the Congolese National Police, the Makala detachment is part of the first unit to be reinforced and equipped.

MAG, UNDP and the CNC await confirmation of funding for Phase II of this important project. MAG plans to utilise the assessments of 100 armouries in Phase I of the project to inform the rehabilitation, and further installation of prefabricated armoury units, of both FARDC and PNC weapon storage areas in Kinshasa to improve weapon security.

Improving the security of weapons is only one aspect of the technical support that MAG DRC has provided since commencing its Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal programme in 2006. MAG works to support the Government of the DRC to reach its commitments held under various international treaties relating to Security Sector Reform, including the destruction of ammunition and weapons, assessment of ammunition depots and armouries, training of FARDC/PNC ordnance technicians and construction/ rehabilitation of depots and armouries to further secure ammunition and weapons.

MAG has been working in DRC since 2004. With over 180 staff and 18 teams operating in the field, MAG is the largest operator in DRC in both the Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) field, and the Conventional Weapons Management and Disposal (CWMD) field. MAG supporting the Congolese government and FARDC to meet their obligations under the Nairobi Protocol through the operation of: two mobile SALW teams; two weapon securitisation (armoury assessment) teams; and one weapons destruction team based at the Central Logistics Base in Kinshasa.

Background information

The protracted armed conflicts that erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1996 and 2003 resulted in the presence of large numbers of Small Arms and Light Weapons stored in unsafe conditions around the country.

This constitutes a constant risk not only to the local population but also to the current peaceful transition process in DRC. Significantly, neither the Forces Armées de la Republique Democratique du Congo nor the Congolese National Police have the necessary technical capacity or resources to ensure and guarantee the safe storage of weapons in their possession.

Whilst the movement of arms across borders remains a critical concern, there is substantial research concluding that the majority of arms used by armed groups come from FARDC stockpiles¹. As such, securing and marking existing FARDC arms stockpiles is as critical as securing borders. The DRC has signed the Nairobi Protocol for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons and the recent Kinshasa Protocol, but currently lacks the necessary capacity to meet its obligations.

Based on five years’ operational experience in SALW in DRC and the successful 6-month German government-funded pilot project currently being implemented, MAG and the Commission for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (CNC SALW) have identified a need to build FARDC and CNC arms management capacity and to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to secure weapons, including marking operational arms with a unique country code.

By the close of the current project (February 2012) MAG will have assessed at least 100 FARDC and PNC armories in Kinshasa and Bas Congo Provinces, developed four prototypes of prefabricated armory units, trained over 100 FARDC and PNC in weapons management, and begun weapons marking.

Note:

¹ Final report of a UN group of experts about the security of the FARDC depots, Dec 2008 and 2009.

Reprting by Michel Belkassam, Technical Operations Manager, MAG DRC