Small arms baseline surveys in Sahel and neighbouring states - UNREC/PNUD

The Small Arms Survey and the Group for Research and Information on Peace and Security (GRIP) have been mandated by the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC), in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to conduct small arms baseline surveys in five Sahel countries and four neighbouring states. The aim of the project is to support the efforts of states in the region to establish an initial baseline understanding of the nature of the phenomenon of the illicit proliferation of small arms and to determine effective and efficient interventions.

The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW), including across borders, cannot be addressed effectively until the phenomenon is well understood and documented. This SALW baseline assessment project aims to collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative information on small arms in the specific geographical zone of the Sahel, in order to identify opportunities and types of initiatives that can respond appropriately to the increasingly complex dynamics of illicit trade and uncontrolled proliferation and abuse of small arms.

The project focused on nine countries of the Sahel and the neighboring region namely Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal. The project is divided into three phases: a preliminary desk research, consultations with actors involved in the fight against the proliferation of SALW in the nine countries and a regional seminar to validate the final regional report.

Timeline: from August 2015- January 2016

Contact:  Cédric Poitevin