Arms Management Programme-Operations Rachel 1996-1999

This research paper by Martinho Chachiua describes 'Operation Rachel', a joint intelligence-driven initiative between Mozambique and South Africa established following a 1995 crime combating agreement to locate and destroy illegal arms caches in Mozambique.

• Operation Rachel was established as part of a 1995 crime combating agreement between Mozambique and South Africa to address illicit arms smuggling and motor vehicle theft, specifically targeting arms caches in Mozambique that served as a source for weapons smuggled into South Africa.
• The operations are intelligence-driven and involve joint teams of Mozambican and South African police who destroy weapons on site. South Africa provides the majority of the funding and technical expertise regarding the disposal and destruction of explosives and weapons.
• Operation Rachel employs an unorthodox policing strategy of remunerating individuals who disclose cache locations rather than prosecuting them immediately, based on the theory that this encourages the disclosure of further caches.
• By September 1998, three operations had destroyed over 300 tons of firearms and approximately four million rounds of ammunition. A subsequent operation in October 1998, Operation Rachel IV, targeted the Sofala province and destroyed over 100 tons of illegal weapons, including cannons, assault rifles, handguns, detonators, mortar bombs, and rocket launchers.

APA

Chachiua, M. (n.d.). Arms Management Programme-Operations Rachel 1996-1999. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-38-monografias-38-arms-management-programme-operations-rachel-1996-1999-martinho-chachiua

Chicago

Chachiua, Martinho. Arms Management Programme-Operations Rachel 1996-1999. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-38-monografias-38-arms-management-programme-operations-rachel-1996-1999-martinho-chachiua.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chachiua |first1=Martinho |title=Arms Management Programme-Operations Rachel 1996-1999 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-38-monografias-38-arms-management-programme-operations-rachel-1996-1999-martinho-chachiua |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chachiuandarms, author = {Chachiua, Martinho}, title = {{Arms Management Programme-Operations Rachel 1996-1999}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-38-monografias-38-arms-management-programme-operations-rachel-1996-1999-martinho-chachiua}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }