Damien Spleeters (1986) is the Deputy Director of Operations at Conflict Armament Research

He was a freelance journalist who examined the use of Belgian weapons in modern conflicts and investigates the Belgian arms brokers. 

His research on the Belgian weapons used in Libya, funded by the Fonds pour le Journalisme, was published in Belgium (Le Soir, La Libre Belgique, Le Vif/L'Express, Apache, De Morgen, VRT) and in the USA (The New York Times). 

In 2014, thanks to a Fulbright program, he was able to pursue a Master’s degree at the Columbia University Journalism School in New York City.

Damien Spleeters

Info

Name
Damien Spleeters
Expertise
Weapons
Land
Belgium
Stad
Brussels
Twitter
@damspleet
Links

Supported projects

Belgian arms depot in Libya

  • Organised crime

Belgian military forces in Mali are at risk of being shot with Belgian weapons and munition that have fallen into the hands of Islamic rebels. The weapons come from Libya but were furnished by previous Belgian governments, material evidence and archive research shows. They have been circulating in the Arab world since the Libyan revolution.

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Little to fear: arms dealers in Belgium

  • Security
  • Armed conflict

In 2003, Belgium adopted a law intended to control arms brokers. This law doesn't meet the European requirement and, furthermore, has never been applied by the authorities, although the problem was well known.

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