IANSA Update 18 January 2008
South Africa: Twice as many private security guards as police
Peru: 35 000 guns to be incinerated
Kenya: BBC films police shooting civilian dead
The Hague: Charles Taylor trial
Other news: IANSA page for GGE on Ammunition, Nobel Women; Peacebuilding job in Brussels
South Africa: Twice as many private security guards as police
There are twice as many private security officers as uniformed police in South Africa, according to a report on private security companies by the Institute of Security Studies (ISS). Private security officers are permitted to carry and use firearms under South African law. The number of registered private security officers in South Africa was around 900,000 March 2007, although only a third were thought to be active, due to a high turnover. Although the government requires the registration and fingerprint record of every individual in the industry, a lack of personnel at the regulatory body has led to gaps in enforcement. Read more here and here.
Peru: 35 000 guns to be incinerated
More than 35,000 firearms will be incinerated in Peru over the next few months. The guns will be destroyed by the government's Directorate for the Control of Security Services, Guns, Ammunition and Explosives for Civil Use (DICSCAMEC). The pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles and carbines were seized from criminals or unlicensed holders. Representatives from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) are expected to be present. DICSCAMEC also destroyed 7,771 firearms during December 2007. Read more here and here.
Kenya: BBC films police shooting civilian dead
At least seven people have been shot dead by police in Nairobi (Kenya) this week, in fresh protests against last month's disputed election. The BBC reported riot police firing bullets into the air to disperse crowds in several cities. Human Rights Watch also verified that at least five people were shot dead in the western city of Kisumu during a rally. One police officer was filmed by the BBC firing at an unarmed civilian who was reported to have died instantly. According to records at Kisumu hospital, 44 people in Kisumu died from bullet wounds between late December and 14 January.
BBC
IRIN
The Hague: Charles Taylor trial
The trial of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, has recommenced at the International Criminal Court in The Hague (Netherlands). Taylor is charged with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. Former Amnesty International researcher Dr. Stephen Ellis began his testimony using a UN Panel of Experts report on the smuggling of diamonds for arms, which Taylor supplied to the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone. Read more here and here.
Other news
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