Demand for law to control firearms as crime soars

Hundreds of protestors on Monday took to the streets of the Yemeni capital, Sana, to demand that the country's parliament debate a stalled draft law controlling the ownership and use of firearms. They demanded the banning of firearms in the major cities, saying gun-related crime in the country had soared to unacceptable levels. Led by the mayor of Sana, Ahmed al-Kuhlani, the protestors marched from al-Tahrir square to the parliament where they delivered a letter demanding immediate action to stop the proliferation of weapons in Yemen's cities. "We urge you to start arrangements to pass the draft law due to the importance of this step for the sake of social and economic development, respect of human rights and the rule of law," the letter said. Al-Kuhlani said the protest demonstrated the urgent need to address the problem of firearms in Yemen. "Firearms are a real challenge to any development and investment and harms Yemen's reputation," he said. "We, as local authorities and civil society organizations, will continue to demand the passing of the draft law." There are no exact figures on the number of firearms in circulation in Yemen but non-governmental organisations (NGOs) estimate that there are almost 17 million weapons in the country of 19.7 million people – almost one weapon for every citizen. "There is no real figure based on a scientific study," said Eiz Addin al-Asbahi, director of the Taiz-based NGO, Human Rights Information and Training Centre. The protestors carried banners demanding a "Yemen free from weapons". "The protestors are here to demand that parliament start debating and endorsing the firearms control draft law. No social or economic development can be achieved without a law to organise the spread of firearms," said Khaled al-Eryani, coordinator of a committee set up by a group of NGOs demanding the passing of the draft bill.

An arms trader inside his shop in Sana

Weapons are widely available and sold throughout Yemen. It is estimated that there are 300 small weapon shops with an average of 100 firearms each in the country. According to authorities, the presence of so many weapons and the absence of a properly functioning legal system, have pushed the crime rate to high levels. Shootings occur almost daily. The latest Interior Ministry report, for example, shows that there 3,249 crimes were reported in the first half of 2005, resulting in 614 deaths and 2,725 injuries. The report said that firearms were used in 80 percent of these cases. "The question of firearms is very serious. It does not help Yemen present itself in a new civilised form capable of attracting investment. Our future depends on science and development as well as social peace – a structure that will be stronger with absence of weapons," Prime Minister Abdulqader Bajaml said in reaction to the protest. The draft bill on firearms control has languished in the Yemeni parliament for the past six years after influential tribal leaders pushed for its rejection, fearing it could eventually lead to their groups being disarmed. Over the years, no concrete steps have been taken by the parliament to start debating the draft. More recently, however, there has been an increasing demand that the draft be revisited. In March, the parliamentary caucus of the ruling General People's Congress demanded that the debate on the draft resume. However, while meeting the protesters on Monday, deputy parliamentary speaker Abdulwahab Mahmoud instead demanded that the Yemeni cabinet enforce an existing bill that was passed in 1992. Critics say that law is full of shortcomings and does not grant police complete authority to control arms proliferation in the cities. A report submitted in November 2003 to the United Nations named Yemen as a possible source of weapons to a number of neighbouring countries, particularly through Somalia. The report said it was relatively easy to obtain surface-to-air missiles in the country. As a part of its war on terrorism, Yemen joined hands with the United States government to buy heavy weapons from its tribes in the last few years. But, the effort is stuck due to lack of adequate resources. "Yemen [has so far] spent 8 billion riyals [US $44 million] to purchase weapons from the tribesmen. We need to control the situation," Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi told IRIN.