More than 20,000 foreign fighters have fought in Syria, mostly for jihadist groups like  Islamic State (IS), and many of them have come from North Africa. The Small Arms Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project has investigated the motivations and pathways that take North African fighters to Syria.

More than four years after the start of the Syrian uprising, over a thousand armed groups are involved in fighting that has consumed the country. The latest podcast from the Small Arms Survey’s Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project investigates the moderate opposition in the Syrian conflict: what types of organizations have they developed? How do they acquire resources, including fighters and materiel? How do they govern the territories they hold? And among so many opposition groups, how do they coordinate with their allies and define their enemies?

The Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) Expert Briefings are a 5-part webinar series that is taking place (almost) every Tuesday from 11 May until 15 June 2021 at 2pm Geneva time. Each live webinar briefing features one of our SANA experts addressing contemporary security issues in North Africa and Sahel-Sahara region, and reflecting on the questions received from the audience.

The Small Arms Survey Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) Expert Briefings are a 5-part webinar series taking place (almost) every Tuesday from 11 May until 15 June 2021 at 2pm Geneva time. Each live webinar briefing features one of our SANA experts addressing contemporary security issues in North Africa and Sahel-Sahara region, and reflecting on the questions from the audience. The webinars will focus on security-related issues in North and West Africa, Chad, Morocco, Libya, and Burkina Faso.

The Small Arms Survey’s Mapping Actors and Alliances Project for South Sudan (MAAPSS) held its second closed-door webinar on Thursday 1 April.

Focusing on Unity state, the webinar provided an overview of state- and county-level appointments, as well as an analysis of broader political dynamics within Unity, including on:

This webinar on weapons and explosives in North and West Africa was organized by the Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project. It is the first of a 5-part series of SANA Expert Briefings.

Small Arms Survey expert David Lochhead joins moderator Alaa Tartir (SANA Project Lead) for this discussion.The briefing was held on 11 May 2021 via Zoom.

In November 2019, the Small Arms Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project hosted a discussion on Libya; focusing on the ongoing conflict dynamics, the transformative nature and landscape of armed groups, and the future possibilities for the country and its people.

The Small Arms Survey 2010: Gangs, Groups, and Guns reviews a range of issues related to gangs and armed groups, focusing on their use of violence, as well as emerging efforts to prevent and curb the damage they inflict on society. The volume includes studies of prison gangs, girls in gangs, and pro-government groups; it also features case studies from Ecuador and Southern Sudan. Rounding out the book is original research on the global ammunition trade and on options for controlling illicit firearm transfers by air.

The Small Arms Survey 2009: Shadows of War contains two thematic sections.

The first highlights the challenges of ensuring security after the formal end of war and comprises an overview chapter and three case studies (Aceh, Afghanistan, and Southern Lebanon).

The second thematic section explores various aspects of small arms transfers, including the value of the authorized trade, national controls, and weapons tracing. Additional chapters focus on small arms measures and impacts.

The Small Arms Survey 2011: States of Security considers the growth of the private security industry and its firearms holdings worldwide; private security use by multinational corporations; emerging weapons technology ; and legislative controls over civilian possession of firearms. Case studies provide original research on ongoing security challenges in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti, and Madagascar.