Guatemala
After more than 36 years of internal conflict, Guatemala finds itself beset by high levels of crime, homicides, armed violence, and drug trafficking mainly related to gang activities. The civilian population is heavily armed and the country is at the same time considered a hub for the trafficking of SALW as well as ammunition, while lacking 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), UNIDIR and the HALO Trust notably provide support to Guatemala in 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, September 2012, https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/157202/AVR-Guatemala-case-study-Sep2012.pdf; The Halo Trust, “Guatemala”, https://www.halotrust.org/where-we-work/latin-america/guatemala/.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
Since the beginning of data collection in 1979 by the Small Arms Survey, one accidental explosion was reported in Guatemala (Table 1).
Table. 1 Accidental explosions in Guatemala (1979-2021)
Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
2005 | Guatemala City | State (military) | 0 | 0 |
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
Several cases of diversion have been reported in Guatemala, of which at least five included ammunition (Table 2).
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, it is reported that 15 agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) were detained by the local population and their weapons and ammunition stolen. |
2013 | Peten Province | 1449 40 mm grenades were reported stolen from the Guatemalan First Infantry Brigade of the Aerial Command in Peten Province. Some sources reported that these grenades were trafficked to Mexico’s Zetas cartel and the Huehuetenango drug clan “Los Huistas”. |
2012 | Peten Province | It is reported that 1500 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 | It is reported that the Mexican cartel “Los Zetas” attacked a shipment of weapons belonging to the Guatemalan military that was being transported by land across the 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, 5000 rounds of ammunition, landmines and military uniforms were found in boxes labelled “Guatemalan Military Industry”. It is reported that the cartel 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 7000 thousand 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, 12 August 2014, https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/1500-grenades-guatemala-military-stocks/; Elyssa Pachico, “How Much Is Guatemala Arming the Zetas?”, InsightCrime, 08 April 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 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, 21.12.21, https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/izabal/retienen-y-les-roban-las-armas-a-15-policias-pnc-pide-en-un-comunicado-que-las-devuelvan/.
Disposal
Destruction, use, or export of ammunition as an indicator of a state’s ability to identify and decrease aging, unsafe, or surplus ammunition.
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: GICHD, “OAS SALW and Munitions Destruction Programme”, Mine Action and Armed Violence Reduction, Guatemala Case study, September 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”, 07 August 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”, 2012, https://att-assistance.org/es/node/6665.
Needs
Further requirements for an effective through-life management of ammunition in the country.
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.
- Capacity development for the destruction of surplus stockpiles.
Source: PoA Report 2022, Guatemala. Please note that PoA reports focus on SALW and not specifically on ammunition.
