The Commission of the African Union (AU), in collaboration with the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa (UNREC),
organized a two-day training course on the Identification and Tracing of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their Ammunition for the Member States of the Economic Community of
Central African States (ECCAS).

The training course was organized within the framework of the AU Strategy and Plan of Action on the Control of Illicit Proliferation, Circulation and Trafficking of SALW, adopted by the AU
Summit it 2013, and the International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit SALW, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in
2005.

The participants included practitioners and officials from the national defense and police forces, SALW commissions and foreign affairs of Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Congo and
Sao Tome and Principe.

The training course consisted of theoretical and practical modules which included an introduction to the basic principles and methodology for identifying, registering, and tracing
illicit weapons and ammunition, as well as the identification of the materiel, and preparation of official tracing requests. The participants were trained on the correct identification of various SALW and ammunition, including by its caliber, type, model, manufacturer, unique serial number and previous ownership.
Arms identification and tracing remains a fundamental pillar in illicit SALW control efforts, as it allows states identify trafficking trends and points of diversion as well as investigate firearms crime and misuse.