Civilian firearms circulation in borderland and peripheral areas is difficult to monitor and quantify. Existing approaches often struggle to capture how firearms move through informal systems over time, particularly in environments shaped by cross-border flows, mobility, and localized security dynamics.

'Kenya’s northern borderlands are often seen through a prism of insecurity — cattle raids, intercommunal clashes, political unrest, and threats from external actors. Yet mobility, livelihoods, and kinship networks are the bedrock systems through which both communities and state security actors operate, shaping how civilian firearms are acquired, circulated, and ultimately used.

In the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Small Arms Survey is pleased to announce a series of reports designed to support global efforts to reach targets under Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16). To promote the sharing of information and encourage collaboration in this context, the Survey is also providing online access to its updated database on violent deaths and corresponding interactive maps.

Accurate and reliable data on the scope, scale, and causes of all forms of armed violence is vital for shaping policy, developing responses, and monitoring progress.

Mechanisms for monitoring and analysing situations of conflict, crime and violence, such as observatories on crime and violence, or armed violence monitoring systems (AVMSs), have helped to improve the effectiveness of  armed violence reduction.