The communist period (1946-1991) in Albania was characterized by a massive accumulation of ammunition and weapons of Albanian, Chinese, and Soviet origin. More than 100,000 tonnes of munitions and weapons were housed in various depots across the country. After 1991, these depots could not be maintained properly, and the dangerous storage environment was further exacerbated. In 2008, a massive explosion at an ammunition dismantling facility occurred. In order to reduce the further risks, Albania started to work on the establishment of a legal framework for the demilitarisation of munitions and upgrade of the decrepit facilities. The international community provided the country with technical and financial assistance on the subject.[1]
Albania has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Currently, the project of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of SALW (SEESAC) is being implemented in the country, providing support for disarmament and arms control, as well as reduction of the threat from illicit SALW and their ammunition.[2] Also, a three-year joint project of the OSCE presence in Albania and the Ministry of Interior was launched in summer 2022 aimed at risk reduction of weapons proliferation and misuse of SALW.[3]
[1] Goodyear, Matt (2010): Albania Makes Progress in Demilitarization. Focus, the Journal of ERW and Mine Action. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1376&context=cisr-journal
[2] GICHD (2022): Ammunition Management Activity Platform. https://global.imsma.org/dashboards
[3] OSCE (2022, June 9): OSCE Presence Launches Project for Reducing Risk of Weapon Proliferation and Misuse of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Albania. https://www.osce.org/presence-in-albania/519963
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the beginning of data collection in 1979 by the Small Arms Survey, twenty-four accidental explosions were reported in Albania (Table 1).
Table 1. Accidental explosions in Albania (1979-2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2011 | Skrapar | State (military) | 1 | 3 |
2009 | Polican | State (military) | 1 | 1 |
2008 | Gërdec | Non-state (company) | 26 | 300 |
2006 | Dhëmblan | State (military) | 2 | 3 |
1997 | N/A | State (N/A) | 16 | N/A |
1997 | Picar | State (military) | 4 | 10 |
1997 | Gjirokastër | State (military) | 3 | 14 |
1997 | Burrel | State (military) | 27 | N/A |
1997 | Fushe-Kruje | State (military) | N/A | N/A |
1997 | Ura e Gjadrit | State (military) | 6 | 2 |
1997 | Suc | State (military) | 1 | 2 |
1997 | Shen Vasil/Sasaj | State (military) | 3 | 0 |
1997 | Pilur-Vlore | State (military) | 2 | 0 |
1997 | Picar | State (military) | 5 | 19 |
1997 | Peshkopi | State (military) | 0 | 3 |
1997 | Palikesht | State (military) | 0 | 14 |
1997 | Mbreshtan | State (military) | 2 | 1 |
1997 | Malesia Lezhe | State (military) | 7 | 0 |
1997 | Laci | State (military) | 3 | 9 |
1997 | Kordhoc | State (military) | 1 | 2 |
1997 | Klos | State (military) | 3 | 1 |
1997 | Gjeroven | State (military) | 3 | 0 |
1997 | Gjegjan | State (military) | 30 | 3 |
1997 | Qafe Shtame | State (military) | 23 | 3 |
Source: Small Arms Survey (December 2021): Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS). Database. https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems
Cases of diversion
Numerous cases of diversion have been reported in Albania (Table 2).
Table 2. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition, and explosives in Albania
Year | Location | Description |
1997 | Throughout the country | Groups of people and criminal gangs looted weapons, ammunition and grenades from the state warehouses. 839,310,038 items of ammunition, 16,000,000 items of explosives and 549,775 items of weapons were looted. |
Sources: Comitato Atlantico Italiano (2019): Albania and the Disposal of Surplus Ammunition. http://www.comitatoatlantico.it/COMIT/documenti/albania-and-the-disposal-of-surplus-ammunition; SEESAC (2018): Small Arms and Light Weapons, their Ammunition and Explosives Control Strategy 2019-2024. https://www.seesac.org/f/docs/Albania-1/ENG_Albanian_Strategy_on_Firearms_Control-24-06-2019.pdf
Disposal
To decrease the above-mentioned risks of accidental explosions and diversion, Albania continuously disposes of its ammunition (Table 3).
Table 3. Disposal of tonnes of ammunition in Albania
Year | Tonnes of ammunition |
2014 | 3,527 |
2013 | 12,169 |
2012 | 25,498 |
2011 | 26,613 |
2010 | 20,653 |
2009 | 6,540 |
2002-2008 | 75,000 |
Sources: Comitato Atlantico Italiano (2019): Albania and the Disposal of Surplus Ammunition. http://www.comitatoatlantico.it/COMIT/documenti/albania-and-the-disposal-of-surplus-ammunition; Republic of Albania, Ministry of Defence (2022): Action Plan for the Disposal of Ammunition in 2014. https://www.mod.gov.al/eng/security-policies/others-from-mod/demilitarization
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following need has been identified for Albania:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management, in particular – technical and financial assistance required for upgrade of security infrastructure of SALW and ammunition storage.
Source: PoA Report 2022, Albania. https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/ALB-English-1234-SUBMITTED.pdf