OVER 13000 FIREARMS SEIZED IN MARCH

SANA'A, April 05 (Saba)- Security authorities have seized in March
about 13,678 firearms in the framework of a security plan to prevent
the carrying of guns in the main cities of Yemen.

In a press release, Interior Ministry said that weapons were seized
within the framework of the implementation of the security plan of
the Supreme Security Committee relating to banning weapons carrying
in the main cities.

In recent years, the authorities said thousands of people disarmed
willingly and other thousands by the authorities as they launched
anti-public weapon carrying drive.

About 74 percent of the Yemeni people are wary of possessing guns
and carrying them in public, a recent poll has shown.

97 percent of the surveyed people said they are for a law banning
and organizing having and carrying weapons.

In Mareb province, 38 percent of the surveyed said that factors such
as security, protection and justice were basic to convince the
people to go disarmed. Similar proportions in Hadramout, Dhale and
Saada said the same.

According to the poll conducted by the Sana'a-based Yemeni Poll
Center, most of the respondents said that the government must ban
arms trade.

And a high proportion suggested that arms dealers should write
details about those who buy weapons.

In terms of surveyed women, a high proportion see that men should
have arms but not carry them in pubic. Others suggest that the
authorities should record those having arms.

Saada came first regarding those who urge to fight arms trade with
or without license. Taiz and Sana'a came followed.

Unofficial statistics show that there are over 60 million firearms
in Yemen, which means that on average there are three firearms for
every Yemeni citizen.

The authorities have began a campaign to hunt down the most
prominent arms dealers operating in the country, and they have so
far arrested 4 arms dealers included on this blacklist of 20 names.

Approximately two years ago, the Yemeni authorities launched a large
scale operation to shut down weapons markets, and they have been
successful in shutting down the largest and best known arms markets
throughout the country.

MB/YA