The Impact of Inadequate Ammunition Stockpile Management in Africa
At the end of April there was a massive explosion at a government armoury on the outskirts of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Lauren Tracey, Sarah Meek Fellow, Arms Management Programme, ISS, Pretoria
At the end of April there was a massive explosion
at a government armoury on the outskirts of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
The armoury, which is situated close to a military facility, and a mere
14km away from the city centre, was said to contain a significant
amount of ordinance, including mines and artillery shells. The April 29
explosion, which sent shockwaves throughout the city, resulted in the
deaths of at least three people, with scores more being injured and left
homeless.
Just less than a month later, on 27 May, there were a series of
explosions at an arms and ammunition storage area in a remote part of
Mozambique. It was reported that explosions took place at a base that
was used by Renamo (the insurgent-group-turned–opposition-party) during
the civil war in Mozambique. Assault rifles, rockets and landmines
were allegedly being stored in that area. While the cause of the
explosion and its impact (casualties and injuries) has not yet been
made known, there has been speculation that the explosion may have been
brought about by inadequate storage processes and conditions. In March
2007, an explosion at a military ammunition storage facility in
Malhuzine, which is within the city limits of Maputo, resulted in over
100 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
It is a well-established fact that ammunition storage facilities can
be extremely hazardous and dangerous (see article by Ben Coetzee and
Guy Lamb). In all three instances, the ammunition explosions resulted
in damage to property and loss of life and injuries, which could have
been lessened had the necessary safety and effective management
procedures been put in place. For example, in all three cases, the
civilian population had been allowed to settle in close proximity to
the ammunition storage area.
Mbangala, the Tanzanian military camp, which was next to the
ammunition storage facility, was reportedly surrounded by civilian
homes. In terms of the May 2009 Mozambique incident, ex-Renamo fighters
were occupying the former base where the arms and ammunition were
being stored. In the case of Malhuzine, a large civilian community had
settled in close proximity to the ammunition storage area.
The impact that inadequate stockpile management has had on many
communities, as well as the issue of human security, provides a grim
example of the seriousness attached to need for locating ammunition
stockpiles in safe areas away from civilian communities, as well as
implementing effective stockpile management procedures. These
ammunition stockpiles pose a significant threat and have “enduring
consequences in vulnerable and fragile societies”, and as such need to
be adequately managed and/or disposed of, by making use of the correct
mechanisms and best practice guidelines.
The guidelines and best practice in question relate to:
- Location and construction of storage facilities;
- Physical security measures, such as the lock-and-key practice and access control;
- The effective management of inventory, as well as accounting control procedures;
- Protection measures in the event of an emergency situation;
- Procedures aimed at maximizing transport security of arms and ammunition to and from the storage facilities;
- Precautions and sanctions in the event of loss and theft of such arms and ammunition;
- Security training for personnel regarding stockpile management, location construction and security procedures.
