OAS and authorities launch plan to combat arms trafficking in Central America and the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo.- Authorities from Central America and the Dominican Republic, alongside the Organization of American States (OAS), have launched technical working groups to implement the 10-year Regional Roadmap for preventing the illicit trafficking and proliferation of firearms, ammunition, and explosives. This initiative, signed in Washington by Dominican Interior and Police Minister Faride Raful and other regional leaders, seeks to strengthen institutional and citizen security across participating countries: Costa Rica, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.

At a meeting held at the Dominican Ministry of the Interior and Police, Raful highlighted the plan’s four foundational pillars: enhancing legal and institutional coordination, preventing gun violence, managing the lifecycle of arms and ammunition, and improving investigation and prosecution of arms trafficking. These efforts aim to modernize regulatory frameworks, tighten border control, and align security with sustainable development strategies. Raful stressed the importance of sustained cross-border collaboration, especially given the prevalence of U.S.-sourced illegal weapons in the region.