The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has become the first country in the world to adopt AmTag™ chemical taggant technology, rendering its national ammunition stockpile fully traceable, according to a press release from DeterTech and Torchlight Technologies.
While existing systems are in place for tying firearms back to their legal owner, until now there has been no effective means of linking individual bullets back to their weapon store of origin. Somalia has experienced conflict and arms trafficking for nearly half a century and is therefore the perfect proving ground for this technology.
Over the last two decades, the FGS has redoubled its efforts to establish greater oversight of its national stockpile and to bring the illicit arms trade under control. It has implemented its weapons and ammunition management (WAM) measures in an environment complicated by the protracted struggle against terrorist actors in the country – most notably Al Shabaab. In this fragile context, the diversion of state-held arms and munitions has the potential to severely undermine the progress made towards greater stability across major urban centres, particularly Mogadishu.
In a pilot jointly delivered by Torchlight Technologies, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the UK Foreign Office (FCDO), and Somalia’s Office of National Security (ONS), thousands of rounds of ammunition belonging to the Somali police have been marked with AmTag™ – a first for any national security force. This permits the investigative branches of the Somali Government to accurately audit chains of custody, identify cases of theft or corruption, and deter would-be criminals.
Marcus Wilson, CEO, Torchlight Technologies, commented: “The Somalia Pilot demonstrates the robustness of AmTag technology in a highly challenging environment. Deploying it operationally for the first time is testament to the unique technical benefits of the AmTag solution as well as the unrivalled support of all our partners to make this traceability tool a success.”
Developed in partnership by Torchlight Technologies, Conflict Armament Research, and DeterTech, AmTag™ is a novel marking system that uses rare earth elements and fluorescent compounds to create an indelible chemical taggant that can be applied to ammunition. The underlying technology, SmartWater, has been used for 30 years to tackle other forms of acquisitive crime and retains a 100% conviction rate in contested court cases.
The taggant, only visible using UV light, is embedded with a unique chemical ‘code’ which can be associated with chain of custody data, to render each round fully traceable from the point of manufacture to the last legal custodian.
Musadaq Ahmed, Director of Central Monitoring Department, Office of National Security, Federal Government of Somalia, added: “AmTag will not only strengthen ongoing WAM measures that promote accountability but will foster behavioral change in how government ammunition stockpiles are managed and accounted for. We are pleased to lead the way in implementing the most robust WAM governance infrastructure in the region.”
This achievement comes ahead of UN meetings in New York in June, to discuss ways in which governments can better control State ammunition stocks. The newly adopted Global Framework on the Through-life Management of Conventional Ammunition calls on States to enhance the traceability of ammunition through the adoption of more granular marking methodologies, to facilitate traceability and ultimately reduce illicit proliferation and diversion. One of the methods listed in the Agreement is chemical tagging using rare earth metals: AmTag™.
It is Torchlight Technologies’ hope that more governments follow Somalia’s lead in better securing State munition stockpiles through the use of AmTag.
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