In the early hours of Valentine’s Day, when the city is slowly waking up, alarm bells ring at the Zomba Police Station. Just after five o’clock in the morning, someone walks into the station and steals one rifle with several rounds of ammunition. In Malawi, and across the world, weapons and ammunition have been stolen from state security forces for years with the intention to cause harm in the community, or to transport them to conflicts outside national borders. Previously stolen weapons and ammunition have resurfaced in armed robberies, murders, and acts of intimidation and violence.
State security force weapons are often targets of both opportunistic and pre-planned theft. Weapons and ammunition stolen during these incidents are used in localized crimes—including armed robberies, murders and acts of intimidation and violence—as well as narcotics smuggling, human trafficking, or may be trafficked into international conflict zones. Malawi’s porous borders with Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania make it a transit country for weapon, gem and narcotics smuggling between Southern and Eastern Africa. To help reduce the proliferation of weapons increased accountability is needed, including ensuring the infrastructural integrity of storage facilities and the training of storekeepers and managers in best practice, improving accountability within the security forces, and limiting the illicit cross-border transfer of weapons.
Building Security
The HALO Trust is working with the Malawi Police and the Malawi Defence Force to increase the safety of their weapons and ammunition and prevent the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. Thanks to the support of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA), HALO is able to provide training to storekeepers to increase accountability, improve record keeping, and to reinforce existing armouries to prevent theft.
Since 2021, HALO has been providing technical training in armoury storekeeping and management to the men and women of the Malawi Defence Force, as well as constructing and refurbishing purpose-built armouries to safely store weapons. HALO will continue working with the Malawi Defence Force and the Malawi Police to increase their capacity in ammunition management. The Malawi Defence Force are fundamental to regional security, regularly deploying in UN peacekeeping missions. The Malawi Police force is integral to the security and stability of Malawi, keeping its citizens and visitors safe. Thanks to the ongoing commitment of PM/WRA, HALO is able to provide sustained mentorship to the Malawi Defence Force and the police, helping create a more secure future for the region.
This work is made possible thanks to support from:
The Government of the United States
