15 March 2021
On 7 March 2021, a series of explosion at an ammunition depot occurred in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, resulting in considerable loss of life, displacement and infrastructure damage. At least one hundred people have been killed and more than 600 injured. GICHD’s Ammunition Management Advisory Team has rapidly deployed to assess and mitigate the risk from explosive ordnance to the population.
A team of experts from AMAT has arrived in Equatorial Guinea on 12 March to provide assistance to the government under the umbrella of UNODA QRM and upon invitation of the government of Equatorial Guinea.
AMAT will assess the risk from explosive ordnance to the local population following the explosion in Bata. The team will also provide technical advice to the government and the United Nations on options for reducing the risks in the future, with particular focus on safe and secure ammunition management.
The assessment team is composed of GICHD-AMAT staff and members of the UN SaferGuard Roster of Experts. The roster is made up of ammunition specialists who have been validated as experts in the IATG and their application in different contexts. Since its establishment, AMAT manages the UN SaferGuard roster of experts on behalf of UNODA.