While efforts are underway, Ukraine does not currently have a comprehensive and robust small arms regulation framework. There is also a severe lack of reliable data on violent crime, as well as its relationship to firearms ownership and use. This is particularly true when it comes to gendered dimensions of crime and small arms use in Ukraine. Moreover, there is little informed and sustained public national debate on the issue of firearms control and its gendered impacts.

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.

After almost two years of war, Sudan is in the grip of a humanitarian and political catastrophe. A conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to devastate the country. In recent months, the RSF has lost ground, and its efforts to create a government seem likely to come to naught. But what is the RSF, and what can learning about the paramilitary organization tell us about the future of Sudan?

In this episode, as part of the Survey's 25th anniversary celebrations, our host Mark Downes is joined by Professor Keith Krause, Director of the Centre on Conflict, Development, and Peacebuilding at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and founder of the Small Arms Survey. They discuss the founding of the Survey, what the small arms control context was like at the time and how the arms control and armed violence agendas have evolved since then. Finally, they also discuss key challenges in small arms control today.

Situation Update: Eastern Equatoria

Louis Lobong Lojore has been the governor of Eastern Equatoria since 2010. He has entrenched his control of the state by building an elite coalition across ethnic lines and disbursing revenues related to the state’s gold-mining sector. Yet, Lobong’s reign in Eastern Equatoria is built on shaky foundations.