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.

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Our work in Guinea Bissau is funded by:

 

 

The United States Government

 

Meet our team in Guinea Bissau

Project Manager
Yamireth has a Civil Engineer background and prior to joining HALO worked for private construction companies around the world. Yamireth joined HALO in December 2018 and since then worked as a Construction Supervisor and Global Construction Manager. In March 2023 she took over as a Project Manager leading and coordinating the safe and efficient delivery of all HALO activities in country. She has a truly multicultural background, was born in Belarus, raised in Guinea-Bissau and studied in Portugal. In her free time, Yamireth loves baking.

Yamireth D'Almeida

Operations Officer, Guinea Bissau
Ratana started with HALO in his homeland Cambodia. He held progressively responsible roles in HALO Cambodia and completed his Field Officer training in 2023. He joined HALO Guinea-Bissau in January 2024 and is responsible for leading on disposal, training and assessment activities. Ratana loves sports and is a true fan of Moto GP.

Ratana Paul

Office Manager
Jacira joined HALO Guinea-Bissau in August 2018 as an Office Manager, in which role she is responsible for general administration and human resources management. Currently, Jacira is also responsible for financial management and compliance. She holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the Jean Piaget University in Cape Verde and has an extensive experience of working on civil society issues with various NGOs in Guinea-Bissau.

Jacira Djau

Finance Officer
Manuel joined HALO in July 2024. He brings a wealth of experience from working in local and international NGOs. Manuel supports the Finance Manager in finance administration, accounting, payroll, tax and cash management. Manuel has a graduate Accounting, Business and Management diploma from ADPP Vocational School and Instituto Superior de Academia Empresariales in Guinea-Bissau.

Manuel da Silva

Logistics Officer
Mamadu joined HALO Guinea-Bissau in May 2018 and is responsible for running our logistics and procurement. Trained to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level 1 and certified as Intermediate Care Provider, Mamadu supports construction, disposal and assessment activities. He holds a degree in Sociology from the Lusofona University of Guinea-Bissau and has a vast experience of working on various projects with international NGOs in Guinea-Bissauю.

Mamadu M. Djaló

Medical Officer
Filipe is General Clinic Medic who graduated from the Cuban Medicine University of Guinea-Bissau. He joined HALO in in March 2024 and oversees medical care, organises medical supplies, provides first aid training to staff and partners and supports disposal activities and other operations. Prior to HALO, Manuel worked in the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Department at the National Hospital Simão Mendes – country’s main hospital

Filipe Nanque

Read more: Global weapons and ammunition management