TRIPOLI — Eleven officers from Libya’s General Administration of Central Support learned practical skills to safely manage stockpiles of ammunition after a five-day course last week conducted by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
UNMAS, a component of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), organised the course as part of its mandate to build national capacity to handle munitions and mitigate the risk of accidental explosions, diversion to illicit markets, and incidents that could endanger civilians.
“This type of capacity building is critical in Libya because of the widespread proliferation of unsecured ammunition stockpiles following prolonged conflict,” said Fatma Zourrig, the chief of UNMAS in Libya. “This has contributed to armed violence, undermining community safety. In the last five years, 167 people were killed and 282 people were injured by accidental explosions.”
Using lectures, discussions, and scenario simulation, the course covered technical and operational skills. The officers learned how to store, inspect, and track ammunition in line with international best practices, including the proper ventilation, humidity, and temperature control to keep ammunition stable and ways to identify corrosion or leakage.
Safe ammunition management requires knowledge of blast effects, safety distances, and fire risks. Ammunition must be marked and labelled to prevent mix-ups and, when expired or unstable, disposed of properly to prevent accidents.
Colonel Mohammed Al Hasnawi, the training facilitator for the General Administration of Central Support, expressed appreciation of the UN’s ongoing support with specialized skills development.
Prior to last week's course, UNMAS worked with Libyan security institutions to develop comprehensive standard operating procedures for ammunition management. Moving forward, it will support the administration in designing ammunition storehouses that are planned for construction.
“This course has directly strengthened our personnel’s skills and improved administrative and field efficiency,” Colonel Al Hasnawi said. “We deeply value this initiative and look forward to continuing constructive cooperation and advanced trainings.”