Guinea Bissau
Guinea Bissau has a turbulent history. It achieved independence from Portugal in 1973 after nearly twenty years of armed rebellion. During this time and following independence, large quantities of arms and munitions were stockpiled. Political instability continued after the Cold War, with a civil war from 1998-2000, a series of military coups and the assassination of the President in 2009.
Today the people of Guinea Bissau still live in fear. Stockpiles of obsolete ammunition could explode at any moment and unsecured weapons are a constant threat to life. A series of coup attempts and growing instability in the West Africa region have increased the urgency of improving the security of state-held weapons.
Our Work
Managing weapons and ammunition
HALO works closely with the government and security forces to increase human security. Our technical specialists work on constructing ammunition storage facilities to allow unsecured ammunition to be moved away from populated areas. Our team is also constructing and refurbishing to prevent arms from getting into the wrong hands and to help keep communities safe. We develop national capacity through providing in store keeping and store managing, ammunition handling and accountancy to mainstream responsible control of weapons and ammunition.
OUR IMPACT
HALO first sent a recce team to Guinea Bissau in 2015 and has been working there since 2019. There are many unsecured ammunition stockpiles close to homes – putting the lives of families at risk. In the event of an unplanned explosion, hundreds of people would be killed or injured and vital infrastructure damaged.
Working with the Guinea Bissau Ministry of Defence, HALO has constructed a purpose-built ammunition storage area in the Bafata region, ensuring stockpiles can be moved away from the local population and creating a more secure future for the people of Guinea Bissau.
HALO has constructed the first masonry armoury in Guinea-Bissau to improve the storage of weapons. In addition, we produced and installed several containerised armouries for the Army and National Guard. Responsible storage and control of weapons prevent their leakage to armed groups thus increasing national security.
We safely destroy excess, unserviceable, obsolete and abandoned ammunition to reduce the likelihood of explosive accidents. We also train national security forces in explosive ordnance disposal to ensure the sustainability of our impact.
We train national security forces personnel in weapons store keeping, ammunition handling and accountancy to guarantee that weapons and ammunition are stored in line with international standards and best practices.
Stories from Africa
Get Involved
Clear a landmine, save a life
With your support, land can be made safe and lives transformed
Sign up to our newsletter
Be first to hear inspirational stories and all the latest HALO news and events
Our work in Guinea Bissau is funded by:
The United States Government
