Cabo Verde gained independence from Portugal in 1975. The country has one of the most stable political environments in Africa and maintains peaceful relations with its neighbours. It has never experienced an armed conflict or military takeover.1 Arms trafficking is not an acute problem for Cabo Verde, and only a few cases involving the illegal trade in firearms have been recorded in recent years.2
In 2013, the Law on the Integrated Information Management System for Arms, Ammunition and Owners (SIGIAMP) established a national legal regime for arms and ammunition.3 Cabo Verde has signed and ratified the Arms Trade Treaty and the UN Firearms Protocol.4
1 "US Relations with Cabo Verde: Bilateral Relations Fact Sheet,” US Department of State, February 19, 2019, https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-cabo-verde.
2 “Global Organized Crime Index: Cabo Verde,” Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, 2021, https://ocindex.net/country/cabo_verde.
3 Cabo Verde, National Report on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) (New York: Permanent Mission of Cabo Verde to the UN, 2018), https://unoda-poa.s3.amazonaws.com/reports/CPV-French-864-SUBMITTED.pdf.
4 Philip Alpers and Marcus Wilson, Cabo Verde – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law (GunPolicy.org, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, 2022), https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/cp/cabo-verde.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, no accidental explosions have been reported in Cabo Verde.
Source: “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
No cases of diversion have been reported in Cabo Verde.
Disposal
Insufficient information on the disposal of ammunition in Cabo Verde.
Needs
No needs have been identified for Cabo Verde.
Source: Cabo Verde, National PoA Report.