Between January 1979 and June 2026, almost 32,000 casualties resulting from UEMS incidents were recorded. The highest number of casualties was recorded in 2002, mainly due to the devastating UEMS incident that occurred in Lagos, Nigeria. More recently, in 2026, an incident in Musaga, Burundi, killed 13 people and injured 57.
« À ce jour, les données sur les victimes des UEMS sont rarement ventilées par sexe et il n’existe que peu d’analyses des impacts sexospécifiques des UEMS sur les populations civiles à court, moyen et long terme. Cet article est une première étape pour combler cette lacune. Il s’appuie sur des entretiens menés par une équipe d’enquêteur·rices nationaux·ales dans un quartier touché par une UEMS en Afrique.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) pose challenges on a global scale as they can occur anywhere. Since 2009, the Small Arms Survey has developed and maintained a database on UEMS, totalling 674 incidents over the period 1979–2024 that resulted in more than 31,000 casualties. These incidents happened in 108 countries across every continent but Antarctica. UEMS generate public health and humanitarian costs, and have long-term socio-economic, financial, and environmental consequences.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a significant safety threat for governments and a major challenge for the international community. A single UEMS incident can result in multiple casualties, millions of dollars' worth of damage to nearby buildings, infrastructure, and homes, as well as harm to the environment. Research conducted by the Survey reveals that these incidents are widespread and increasingly common: in its database, the Survey has recorded more than 674 incidents that occurred since 1979.
636 incidents of Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) took place between 1979 and December 2021, resulting in 30,883 casualties (deaths and injuries), reveals the newest update of the Small Arms Survey UEMS database. The database tracks the frequency and destructive impact of UEMS incidents—defined as the accidental explosion of abandoned, damaged, improperly stored, or properly stored stockpiles of ammunition and explosives at munitions sites.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are accidental explosions of abandoned, damaged, improperly stored, or properly stored stockpiles of ammunition and explosives at munitions sites. UEMS are a persistent and global problem. They are a significant safety concern for the public and a major security challenge for states and societies. Addressing the challenge posed by UEMS requires not only putting in place effective stockpile management practices but also implementing a life-cycle management of ammunition (LCMA) system.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) remain a global and multi-faceted problem. UEMS are accidental explosions of abandoned, damaged, improperly or properly stored stockpiles of ammunition and explosives at munitions sites.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a global problem. The Small Arms Survey defines UEMS as the accidental explosion of stockpiles of ammunition and explosives at storage sites, whether the stockpiles are properly stored or are abandoned, damaged, or improperly stored.
'A series of massive blasts recently rocked Equatorial Guinea’s city of Bata. The explosions, at an army barracks, killed over 100 people and destroyed military buildings as well as people’s homes around the site. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema stated that the explosions were “caused by negligence of the unit in charge of storing explosives, dynamite and ammunition at the Nkoa Ntoma military camp”.
Check out this infographic for some quick facts about unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS).
Find out more on our UEMS database here.