Yemen 24: A Webblog about Yemen

By: Moneer Al-Omari for the Yemen Post Seeking to contribute to the efforts exerted to shed some light on the different social, economic and political challenges as well as the risks posed by the phenomenon of arms bearing in Yemen, the Yemen Polling Center (YPC) conducted a survey in seven Yemeni governorates, which sought to gauge Yemeni citizens’ attitudes towards the carrying and possessing of small arms and light weapons (SALW). Although there is no reliable data about the exact number of arms in people’s hands, a study conducted by Derek B. Miller for the Small Arms Survey in 2003 came to an estimate of 6-9 million SALW in circulation. Yemen therefore has the second most heavily armed citizenry worldwide with 61 guns per 100 people, only outbalanced by the United States with 90 guns per 100 citizens (Small Arms Survey 2007). The government drafted Law 40 in 1992, just two years from declaring Yemen’s unity in 1990, to regulate arms bearing and possession. This