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| Site Additions: November 2006 |
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24 November |
Bougainville: gun attack sparks wider concerns
A gun battle between rival militias in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, has left several men dead and raised fears of a violent outbreak on the island. The Bougainville Freedom Fighters raided the base of the self-proclaimed king Noah Musingku, opening fire on the camp and killing an unconfirmed number of men. Concerns over the possibility of further conflict are underpinned by ongoing tension between militia groups, Musingku's statement that he intends to build up an army and widespread proliferation of small arms in the region. |
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UN report reveals arms suppliers to Somalia
A new report by the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia names 10 countries that have allegedly supplied arms or support to political groups in Somalia and violated a 16 year-old UN arms embargo on the country. The document reportedly states that Syria, Iran, Eritrea, Libya and Saudi Arabia have sent small arms and/or ammunition to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) based in Mogadishu. Ethiopia, Uganda and Yemen have allegedly supplied small arms to the the interim government, which is currently located in Baidoa. Egypt and Djibouti are accused of providing supplies and support to the ICU. |
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Latin American IANSA members meet
The Latin American network of IANSA members, CLAVE, held its general assembly on 6-8 November in Montevideo (Uruguay). The agenda included items on governance, electing the CLAVE Board and discussion of the model gun law drafted by CLAVE members. Representatives from about 20 countries attended the event as well as the annual meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms. |
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10 November |
Gun control policy not a vote-killer
The US Congressional elections this week showed that the pro-gun lobby there is not as powerful as it claims. Around 95% of the candidates endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence won their seats. By contrast, the National Rifle Association spent a great deal of money supporting pro-gun candidates who lost – including six candidates for the Senate who each received $1 million from the NRA. Rebecca Peters, IANSA’s Director, said this experience proves that US political candidates can support strong gun laws and still win elections.
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A Question of High Caliber
‘A Question of High Caliber: Venezuela and the Manufacture of 7.62x39mm Ammunition’ is an article published this week in En La Mira, the Latin American human security bulletin. The report examines the manufacture of ammunition in Venezuela, marking requirements and the potential for diversion to fuel conflict in neighbouring countries. The article was written by IANSA member Pablo Dreyfuss of Viva Rio in Brazi |
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UN Small Arms process revived at First Committee
The First Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted several resolutions relating to small arms, in addition to last week’s ATT success. Most important was the ‘omnibus’ resolution which revived the UN small arms process – a great relief after the process collapsed at the Review Conference in July! Other resolutions relating to ammunition and transparency were also approved. |
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Bush freezes gunrunners’ assets
US President Bush has signed an executive order to freeze the assets of seven gunrunners on the basis of their involvement with conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The order names Viktor Bout, two of his employees, and Sanjivan Ruprah. While the freeze applies specifically to seven individuals, it also permits additions to the list of persons found to have violated international law or assisted the named individuals in relation to the DRC conflict. |
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