Truckload weapons seized [Archives:2003/660/Local News]

Hassan Al-Zaidi
SANA'A)Information obtained by Yemen Times disclosed that the truck loaded with weapons seized in Mareb last week belonged to a weapons dealer in the governorate of Mareb.
The information also indicates that the security authority may return the quantity of weapons to the owner or in case of confiscating them the government would pay compensations to the owner.
The seized truck contained 50 sacks and 20 boxes full of pistols, 20 hunting rifles and their ammunition.
The source clarified that the quantity was considered normal regarding trading in weapons in some areas in Yemen. It is a trade that has its own markets.
Those arms are bought from either citizens or officials who had found them during the 1994 civil war.
The Small Arms Survey in Geneva released two weeks ago said that millions of small arms and light weapons are found in Yemen.
“There are 40 weapons for 100 people,” says the Small Arms Survey Director in Geneva.
In Yemen life tribal rules rather than law are the main determinants of weapon use.
The Yemeni government has recently started cooperating with Saudi Arabia to fight arms smuggling and smugglers.
The security cooperation between the two sides has clearly manifested itself after the seizure of large quantities of arms near the border.
It is said that those arms are originating from Yemen.
In this regard, most of the light as well as middle weapons are commonly used by the Yemeni tribes during tribal clashes as well as marriage ceremonies held in the Yemeni community.
A few years ago, the parliament proposed a law to curb possession and carrying of arms inside major cities. But this law has not been put to action.
Arms market spread over Yemen just like any other markets of vegetables, spices, etc.
The biggest and most famous arms market is the Attalh in Sadah which contains more than 30 arms stores.
The political analysts attribute spread of weapons to the good number of wars Yemen has passed through.
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