SANAA, Yemen, May 11 (UPI) -- Yemen's government has allocated $55 million to buy back the weapons held by a large segment of the population, especially local tribesmen.
The official daily al-Thawra said Thursday the move is aimed at curbing the spread of arms in the hands of civilians, noting that a previous similar plan by the Interior Ministry and security agencies was largely successful in barring arms possession in key Yemeni cities and confiscating non-licensed weapons.
The paper stressed that eliminating this deep-rooted tradition of arms in Yemeni society necessitated the cooperation of the international community, as Yemen has a limited capacity to act.
The United States offered Yemen financial support two years ago to help eradicate arms possession by civilians.
The Interior Ministry and security agencies have, in the meantime, imposed strict control on arms markets in Sanaa and other big cities.
There are no official estimates of the number of arms in civilian hands in Yemen. Unofficial figures state Yemenis possess up to 9 million arms, while officials believe the number to be far higher.
In 1999, the government presented to parliament a draft law for controlling the possession and sale of arms, but the law has been shelved since then.
According to official sources, party and tribe leaders have been obstructing discussion of the draft law.
