The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) held the first Weapons and Ammunition Management (WAM) training in Abyei on 20-24 August 2017 with 19 participants comprising of Ethiopian Light Field Engineers and some UNISFA staff officers.
The training programme was aimed at developing the capacity of Ethiopian troops to plan, safely manage and operationally conduct WAM activities according to UNISFA mandate, as well as establishing the training capacity of Ethiopian troops to conduct WAM training for their members independently.
The need for this training was identified due to the confiscation of illegal owned weapons and movement of armed men in the Abyei Administrative Area (AAA) which has been one of the significant threats and challenges faced in this area.
To curb armed violence within the Abyei Area through the control of circulation of illicit arms, Security Council Resolution 2205 (2015) has mandated the UNISFA Mission to confiscate and destroy weapons found within the Abyei Area, and the Ethiopian troops who are the points of first contact retrieve these weapons and hand them over to UNMAS for destruction.
To enhance the capacity of UNISFA in responding to this, the WAM training was endorsed by the UNISFA Force Commander and UNMAS Chief as it is in line with previous UNMAS responses to UNSC resolution 2205.
UNMAS has created a mission specific WAM Manual and Standard Operating Procedures according to international standards. In addition a WAM facility was also established at Dukra to support in the storage and destruction of these collected weapons.
The WAM training was evaluated by participants who deemed the course extremely useful and also commended the right combination of theoretical and practical methodologies. During the training 12 weapons, 108 SAA and 13 magazines were destroyed.
More training course photos - https://www.facebook.com/unisfa/posts/830399693814318