According to Geneva International Institute:9 million weapons found in Yemen [Archives:2005/883/Local News]

SANA'A- Oct.2- The international weapon expert Dick Miller from the High Institute for International Studies in Geneva, made clear in a survey that Yemen only owns 20% of the formerly estimated 50 million weapons.

He said that the amount of weapons in the hands of the tribes, markets and army reserve does not exceed 7 millions and 300 thousand.

The study places Yemen close to the high level of countries in which people own small weapons, but America is still the leading country in that category.

The report focuses on cultural norm behind the demand of weapons in Yemen. The increase in population increases the number of weapons, and consumption rate reaches 200 thousand weapons each year. Weapon expert Dick Miller stated that Yemen is not the most dangerous country in the world, but that he still believes it is an unsafe country.

The report explains that the source of the weapons is the ex- Eastern bloc countries and China, and that the import of weapons from these countries goes back to the 19th century. Miller's report says that Yemen exports arms to the African Horn countries such as Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan. These weapons are legally imported.

It is stated in the report that tribal domination gives way to government power, and it is added that the three tribes Bakeel, Hashid, and Mathhaj are still dominant in the north. These tribes together are formed of 30 smaller tribes whose male members carry arms when they reach maturity age.
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