MAG established a program in Guinea in 2017, helping protect the local population from devastating unplanned explosions.
Why we work in Guinea
Guinea struggles with the control of state-owned weapons and ammunition due to its location in a region marked by continued political instability, porous borders, and historic armed conflict in the neighboring countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Existing storage facilities and armories were built many years ago and fail to meet international standards and good practice. There have also been three unplanned explosions at munitions sites since 2001, the last as recently as 2017. Existing ammunition depots are located too close to populated areas (including the capital city of Conakry), as urban areas have expanded and previous security perimeters are now obsolete.
Unplanned explosions at munitions sites have a devastating effect on the population living in surrounding areas. Excess and unsecured ammunition can also be deviated into the illicit arms trade or into the hands of non-state armed groups.
How we help
To date, we've destroyed 68 tons of unstable ammunition from stockpiles in the Kindia region, reducing the risk of harm to local people from unplanned explosions.
We also assess weapons and ammunition storage sites, build and rehabilitate armories and train national security forces in weapons and ammunition storage and management.
MAG has also supported local authorities in a rapid response to an unplanned explosion at a munitions site in Conakry, where 1.3 tons of scattered munitions were safely transported and destroyed.
