A Blast From the Past: Mpila Military Munitions Depot Explosion in the Republic of Congo
The recent military munitions depot explosion in the capital city of Brazzaville illustrates that there is still more work to be done in the area of weapons stockpile management in many African countries.
Lauren Tracey, Research Consultant, Transnational Threats and International Crime, ISS Pretoria
On the 4th
of March 2012 a series of blasts at the Mpila military munitions depot sent
shock waves through the capital city of the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville. The
disaster took place at three sites: the first, where the munitions depot was
located, includes the tank area, which was destroyed at 98 percent; the second
area was destroyed at 90 percent and the third area suffered extensive damage.
The explosion resulted in the killing of more than 200 people and injured more
than 2300, many more are left homeless. The cause of the explosion is suspected
to have been an electrical short circuit. Investigations are however still on
going.
Brazzaville is a
city with approximately 1.3 million inhabitants, and has a number of arms and
ammunition depots surrounding it. The Mpila military munitions depot is just
one of these depots located in close proximity to the heavily populated area,
and resulted in the large number of casualties and widespread destruction of
infrastructure, as highlighted above. While the government planned to have the
military camp relocated to a place outside of the city, the recent explosion
demonstrates that it was simply too little too late. Hospitals battle to treat
the large numbers of injured victims, and a mass burial for over 200 deceased
victims of the blast was conducted by the government of the Republic of Congo,
and the families of the victims. Homes,
churches, businesses and government buildings were all flattened during the
explosion and the shock waves that followed.
Following a
request for assistance from the army and in an attempt to prevent any further
explosions of unexploded ordnance (UXO) that were kicked out by the
blast and scattered around the area, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) have
responded to the emergency in Brazzaville. MAG is a British non-governmental
organization that specialises in the clearance of landmines and other
unexploded ordinance. For MAG, speed is of the essence to prevent any further
loss of life. Along with the full support of the Congo government, MAG is
ensuring that people are made aware of the dangers UXO present if tampered
with, and are removing and destroying the deadly items. The rapid assistance
and response to the tragedy by MAG is just one example of how various
organizations, the international community, and other affected states can help
one another prevent explosions like this from occurring.
The suffering
and damage caused by these explosions do not only impact on the community
socially, but economically as well. The need for countries to realise that it
is far easier to avoid disasters like this from occurring, rather than to deal
with the extremely high financial costs associated with them afterwards, is
paramount to preventing them in future. The technically challenging clean-up
costs of UXO that end up littering the streets long after such an explosion,
the medical costs of the injured victims coupled with the financial burden of
having to rebuild homes and other infrastructure, are all costs many countries
cannot afford. In a bid to assist the government of the Republic of Congo, a
number of countries and international organisations have come to its aid
providing assistance in over-stretched medical facilities, emergency and
medical aid and donating food supplies to the victims of the blast.
Since the 2008
follow-up meetings concerning the United Nations Programme of Action to
Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
in All Its Aspects (UNPoA), countries have been urged to adequately manage
their arms and ammunition stockpiles, and dispose of any surplus stock. The
recent Brazzaville explosions however, illustrates that there is still more
work to be done in the area of stockpile management. African countries like the
Republic of Congo continue to face numerous challenges, both financially and
technically, in managing their weapons stockpiles. In its 2010 national report
on the implementation of the UNPoA, the Congo government identified “capacity-building
in stockpile management and weapons destruction” as a priority area for the
future. The large number of deaths and injured victims in the recent
Brazzaville explosion could have been prevented had the identified priority
area been rapidly addressed.
The Brazzaville
explosion is unlikely to be an anomaly in Africa, as there are many more
inappropriately managed arms and ammunition stockpiles in most African regions.
These stockpiles will continue to present major risks to civilian communities
if the problems associated with them are not urgently addressed.
