IANSA Update 14 December 2007

Nigeria: Armed gangs in Delta region provoke fear
Wassenaar: New guidelines on transportation of small arms by air
16 Days Against Gender Violence: Pakistan, Cameroon and Burundi
Caribbean and US cooperation against gun traffickers
Other news: Human Rights Watch report on Burma, Jobs at HD Centre in Geneva and PRIO in Oslo

Nigeria: Armed gangs in Delta region provoke fear

People living in Nigeria's Niger Delta region are increasingly feeling the impact of armed violence on their communities and their daily routines. A small household survey conducted by the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey in Rivers state in early 2007 revealed that nearly one-third of respondents had experienced a violent crime in the previous six months. Many feared leaving their homes due to the threat of violence, and pointed to armed groups as the main source of their concern. A number of respondents identified assault rifles, shotguns and pistols as the most common small arms in the state. Read more here.

Wassenaar: New guidelines on transportation of small arms by air

States participating in the Wassenaar Arrangement on arms exports have agreed on best practise guidelines for transporting small arms by air. UN arms embargoes have been violated in the past by arms dealers falsifying transport documents and aircraft registration numbers, and changing flight routes and destinations. States are now encouraged to request details of freight forwarding agents, registration numbers, flight routes and previous stopover records from all private aircraft carriers before a license to export small arms is authorised. Ilhan Berkol of GRIP, an IANSA member in Brussels, praised the guidelines as an important first step. The guidelines exclude government and military transfers and are not legally binding. Read more here.

16 Days Against Gender Violence: Pakistan, Cameroon and Burundi
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence concluded this week. Blue Veins, a member of the IANSA Women's Network in Pakistan, organised a roundtable which was attended by 60 people, including local politicians and NGO representatives. After a discussion on the link between gender violence and guns, many participants agreed to target a religious scholar, a teacher and a community elder on the issue. In Cameroon, Women in Alternative Action brought together 35 NGO representatives, journalists and lawyers, who planned to form a national Women's Network as part of the Cameroon Action Network on Small Arms (CANSA). Meanwhile Dagropass Amagaranikindi in Burundi led public demonstrations, published open letters and held poster and banner-making sessions attended by women survivors of gun violence. Read more here.

Caribbean and US cooperation against gun traffickers
The Caribbean Community countries (CARICOM) and the US have launched a joint initiative to 'combat illicit arms trafficking relentlessly.' They have agreed to enhance their export and import controls, share information, promote firearm tracing, improve stockpile management and strengthen cooperation between police and customs officials. Read more here.

Other news

• Many more people were killed or detained in the violent government crackdown on monks and other peaceful protesters in September 2007 than the Burmese government has admitted, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch. The findings are available here.
• The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva is seeking a Public Relations Manager to report to the Director of Communications. The International Peace Research Institute in Oslo has a single vacancy for either a researcher or research assistant at the Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers. See the IANSA Job Board.

Join the IANSA Women's Network: email women@iansa.org

Join the Million Faces petition in support of a global Arms Trade Treaty