4,000 gun-related deaths in Yemen

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SANAA, Yemen, April 3 (UPI) -- Yemen's Interior Ministry says more than 4,000 Yemenis have been killed by drastically increased gun violence in the last two years.

In a statement posted to the Ministry's website in February, the ministry warned armed violence was holding Yemen back, Bikyamasr.com reported.

"Widespread weapons in the country as we have seen threaten security and stability in the society…increasing the crimes within the country such as killing, kidnapping, looting, blocking roads, armed robbery, stealing and revenge," the statement read.

The statement reports in addition to the 4,000 deaths between 2010 and 2011, an estimated 27,441 civilians were wounded by gun violence.

Bikyamasr.com reported there are approximately 11 million weapons among Yemen's population of 23 million, making for the highest weapon per inhabitant rate in the world. Over the past year, there has been a drastic increase in weapons proliferation in connection with the Yemeni revolution.