In 2013, the Small Arms Survey  estimated that there are around 440,000 civilian firearms in circulation in Nepal, only 55,000 of which are legally registered. The availability of firearms in the country is moderate by international standards, but the concentration of small arms in the hands of criminal groups poses a threat to law and order that has yet to be fully assessed and addressed.

After Qaddafi’s death and the subsequent declaration of independence in October 2011, Libya’s transitional authorities faced enormous challenges in the control and management of the various armed groups formed to fight the regime.

Insecurity, armed groups, and firearms are issues that still dominate news reports on Libya today, three years after the armed conflict that swept the country in 2011. The ongoing instability is a stark reminder that Libyans’ aspirations for freedom and prosperity will require more time and effort to realize. Despite the media attention, however, there is comparatively little focus on the Libyan population’s own interpretation of what is happening in their country.

The proliferation and misuse of small arms, light weapons, and their associated ammunition in situations of armed conflict have been important concerns for the international community for the last 20 years. Yet it is only more recently that specific knowledge about the models and origins of the small arms circulating in conflict zones has emerged.

More than a decade of instability and armed conflict in Côte d’Ivoire has resulted in the proliferation of weapons and ammunition held by both the government and the Forces Nouvelles rebel movement.

In vast areas of East Africa, violent conflict involving pastoralist communities, and exacerbated by the prevalence of firearms, has resulted in large-scale death and injury, as well as the impoverishment of entire communities.

Many communities reliant on agro-pastoralism are situated in the Karamoja Cluster and in the Horn of Africa. The Karamoja Cluster comprises the border regions of south-western Ethiopia, north-western Kenya, south-eastern South Sudan, and north-eastern Uganda; the Horn of Africa is made up of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.

On the Edge? Trafficking and Insecurity at the Tunisian–Libyan Border, by Moncef Kartas, investigates how the Libyan armed conflict and its aftermath have affected the security situation in Tunisia, particularly in light of the circulation of firearms and infiltrations by armed groups.

The volatile political situation in Nepal was the largest obstacle to business activities in 2012, according to the majority of businesses surveyed as part of a study by the Small Arms Survey’s Nepal Armed Violence Assessment (NAVA) project.  Direct losses from crime are relatively small compared to the indirect costs of instability. 

Geospatial technologies—ranging from GPS hardware to GIS software—are being used to fight crime in Jamaica. Analysts can use these tools to overlay various types of data—such as information about socio-economic conditions or infrastructure—on maps showing the incidence of crime, thereby shedding light on the dynamics at work. An improved understanding can lead to better crime-fighting policies and activities.

Although many armed groups possess guided weapons, such as man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) and anti-tank guided weapons (ATGWs), few of them possess sophisticated vehicle-mounted systems—like the SA-11—capable of targeting airliners at cruising altitudes.

Since 1998 at least 59 non-state armed groups from 37 countries are known to have possessed guided light weapons systems, posing a significant international security threat (2013).