Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen's Interior Ministry has embarked on a campaign to close weapons markets across the Arab state to curb the spread of unlicensed weapons, a ministry source said on Monday.

"All weapons shops and markets will be closed and their dealers will be arrested," the source said in remarks carried by the official media.

He said the crackdown would affect 12 main weapons markets and nearly 300 light weapon shops that operate openly throughout the country.

Unofficial estimates put the number of firearms in circulation in Yemen at around 60 million.

A UN-sponsored small arms survey, released in August 2007, concluded that Yemenis own between 6 million and 17 million firearms.

Authorities have in recent years tried to crack down on people carrying arms, but their efforts have met with little success.

In 2005, the government of Yemen embarked on a scheme to collect heavy weapons from tribal communities or arms traders, spending 44 million dollars to buy back weapons, according to officials.

The effort, however, floundered as a result of inadequate funding. (dpa)