Seychelles Firearms Inquiry Urges Tighter Armoury Controls After Import Probe

Seychelles' president received the final report of an inquiry into firearms imports on 30 October, as investigators urged tighter controls over weapons storage and handling. The government has not released the panel's detailed findings, and the report's delivery does not establish criminal responsibility for any individual.

Justice Duncan Gaswaga presented the report to President Patrick Herminie at State House, the presidency said. Local newspaper Seychelles Nation separately reported that the document runs to 501 pages. The board was established on 31 December 2025 and its members were sworn in on 19 January 2026.

The board's mandate was to investigate who authorised and financed firearms and ammunition imports that were not officially recorded, how weapons were stored, whether unregistered storage sites existed, and the involvement of foreign military personnel and contractors in Operation Black Iron. Those were questions for the inquiry, not findings that every suspected activity occurred.

According to the presidency, Gaswaga outlined recommendations for clearer procedures governing armed operations and for officers of the Seychelles Defence Forces and police who carry weapons. The board also called for a modern armoury and proper systems governing how weapons are stored, moved, regulated and disposed of.

President Herminie said he would study the report before deciding whether to publish it. Because the full report and underlying evidence remain unavailable, TFNOS cannot independently establish whether the board assigned responsibility, recommended prosecutions or reached findings about any specific import or storage facility.

The board's creation followed a government decision to examine records and authority for firearms imports, a matter with implications for public oversight of security services. The original January terms also directed the panel to examine whether foreign private contractors exercised search, arrest or seizure powers. That remit should not be confused with an adjudicated conclusion.

The next independently verifiable developments would be publication of the report or an official summary, a dated government response to its recommendations, parliamentary consideration, or a court or prosecutorial decision. Each would warrant a separate update only if it adds material new facts.