Cameroon
Cameroon is affected by rising levels of criminality and insecurity amid separatist conflicts in the Northwest and Southwest regions and an increasing number of attacks from Boko Haram in its Far Northern part. The number of SALW in illegal circulation surpasses the number of registered authorisations to carry weapons, and it is reported that the country has long been a source, transit and destination country for weapons and ammunition trafficking.
In terms of Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM), Cameroon notably receives assistance from the UNODA-UNDP’s Saving Lives Entity (SALIENT) project to improve its SALW control and to reduce armed violence, but the country’s national legal framework and WAM capacities still need to be improved.
Source: Oluwole Ojewale, “Cameroon alone can’t stop illicit arms flooding into the country”, Institute for Security Studies, 26.08.21, https://issafrica.org/iss-today/cameroon-alone-cant-stop-illicit-arms-flooding-into-the-country; Nicolas Florquin, Sigrid Lipott and Francis Wairagu, “Weapons Compass. Mapping Illicit Small Arms Flows in Africa”, African Union and Small Arms Survey, January 2019, https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-AU-Weapons-Compass.pdf; UNODA, “Programmes Financed from Voluntary Contributions. 2020-2021”, December 2021, https://front.un-arm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/xb-report-2021.pdf.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the beginning of data collection in 1979 by the Small Arms Survey, two accidental explosions were reported in Cameroon (Table 1).
Table. 1 Accidental explosions in Cameroon (1979-2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2016 | Mora | State (military) | 0 | 0 |
2001 | Yaoundé | State (military) | - | - |
Source: UEMS Database (December 2021); Small Arms Survey. ‘Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS)’. https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems.
Cases of diversion
Insufficient information on cases of diversion in Cameroon.
Disposal
Destruction, use, or export of ammunition as an indicator of a state’s ability to identify and decrease aging, unsafe, or surplus ammunition.
Insufficient information on the disposal of ammunition in Cameroon.
Needs
Further requirements for an effective through-life management of ammunition in the country.
No needs have been reported for Cameroon.
