Guatemala
Having experienced more than 36 years of internal conflict, Guatemala finds itself beset by high levels of crime, homicide, armed violence and drug trafficking – mainly related to gang activities. The civilian population is heavily armed and the country is considered a hub for the trafficking of small arms and light weapons as well as ammunition, but lacks the capacity to efficiently trace, mark and destroy weapons and ammunition.
The Program of Assistance for Control of Arms and Munitions (PACAM) of the Organization of American States (OAS), the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) and the HALO Trust notably provide support to Guatemala for the management, storage and disposal of confiscated and obsolete weapons and ammunition. The country also has national laws on weapons and ammunition and is party to international treaties such as the Arms Trade Treaty and other related UN Protocols.
Source: GICHD, OAS SALW and Munitions Destruction Programme: Mine Action and Armed Violence Reduction, Guatemala Case Study (Geneva: GICHD, 2012), https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/157202/AVR-Guatemala-case-study-Sep2012.pdf; “Guatemala,” Halo Trust, https://www.halotrust.org/where-we-work/latin-america/guatemala/.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, one accidental explosion has been reported in Guatemala.
Table 1. Accidental explosions in Guatemala (1979–2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2005 | Guatemala City | State (military) | 0 | 0 |
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
Several cases of diversion have been reported in Guatemala, of which at least five included ammunition.
Table 2. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition and explosives in Guatemala
Year | Location | Description |
2021 | Chapín Abajo (El Estor) | While preparing to carry out two arrests in the village of Chapín Abajo, El Estor Izabal, 15 agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) were reportedly detained by the local population and had their weapons and ammunition stolen. |
2013 | Peten Province | The Guatemalan First Infantry Brigade of the Aerial Command in Peten province reportedly had 1,449 40 mm grenades stolen. According to some sources, the grenades were trafficked to Mexico’s 'Los Zetas' cartel and the Huehuetenango drug clan 'Los Huistas'. |
2012 | Peten province | It is reported that 1,500 cartridges of an unknown calibre were being sold by people within the Guatemalan First Infantry Brigade of the Aerial Command in Peten province. |
2009 | N/A | The Mexican cartel 'Los Zetas' reportedly attacked a shipment of weapons belonging to the Guatemalan military that was being transported by land across Guatemalan territory. The shipment contained rocket launchers, grenade launchers, grenades of different types, cartridges and assault rifles. |
2007/2008 | Guatemala City | During a police raid of a warehouse belonging to the Mexican cartel 'Los Zetas' outside of Guatemala City in 2009, 600 grenades, 11 machine guns, 5,000 rounds of ammunition, landmines and military uniforms were found in boxes labelled 'Guatemalan Military Industry'. The cartel reportedly obtained these weapons and ammunition through sale or theft from the Mariscal Zavala military base between July 2007 and January 2008. |
2004 | Guatemala City | More than 7,000 rounds of Galil rifle ammunition disappeared from the stockpile of the Guardia de Honor (the Guatemalan Military Police). |
N/A | Chiquimula | An investigation reported that 85 weapons disappeared from the warehouses of the Adolfo V. Hall Institute in Chiquimula. |
N/A | Guatemala City | An investigation reported that 554 rifles were stolen from the Mariscal Zavala military base. |
Source: Marguerite Cawley, “How 1,500 Grenades Disappeared from Guatemala Military Stocks,” InsightCrime, August 12, 2014, https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/1500-grenades-guatemala-military-stocks/; Elyssa Pachico, “How Much Is Guatemala Arming the Zetas?” InsightCrime, April 8, 2011, https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/how-much-is-guatemala-arming-the-zetas/; Gustavo Castillo Garcia,”Alerta en el gabinete de seguridad; zetas roban armas en Guatemala,” El Periodico, 31 August 31, 2009, p. 3, https://www.jornada.com.mx/2009/08/31/index.php?section=politica&article=003n1pol; Por Juan Manuel Vega, “Retienen y les roban las armas a 15 policías, PNC pide en un comunicado que las devuelvan,” Pensa Libre, December 21, 2021, https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/izabal/retienen-y-les-roban-las-armas-a-15-policias-pnc-pide-en-un-comunicado-que-las-devuelvan/.
Disposal
To decrease the above-mentioned risks of accidental explosions and diversion, Guatemala has disposed of its ammunition since 2010.
Table 3. Disposal of tonnes of ammunition in Guatemala
Year | Tonnes of ammunition |
2021 | N/A |
2020 | N/A |
2019 | N/A |
2018 | N/A |
2017 | N/A |
2016 | N/A |
2015 | N/A |
2014 | N/A |
2013 | N/A |
2012 | 266.23 |
2011 | 270.87 |
2010 | 362.9 |
Source: Source: GICHD, OAS SALW and Munitions Destruction Programme: Mine Action and Armed Violence Reduction, Guatemala Case Study (Geneva: GICHD, 2012), https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/157202/AVR-Guatemala-case-study-Sep2012.pdf; OAS, “OAS Signs Agreement to Support the Control of Arms and Ammunition in Guatemala,” August 7, 2012, https://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_release.asp?sCodigo=E-276/12; Arms Trade Treaty, “OEA Implementa Proyecto para el Manejo de Arsenales y Destrucción en Centro América,” Mapping ATT-Relevant Cooperation and Assistance Activities Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2012, https://att-assistance.org/es/node/6665.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Guatemala:
- Development or refinement of standards and procedures on stockpile management; and
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles.
Source: Guatemala, 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 Guatemala to the UN, 2022).
