By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Arms dealers in Yemen are brazenly utilizing the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to advertise and sell a range of weapons, including Kalashnikovs, pistols, grenades, and grenade launchers.
These traders are primarily operating in the capital city of Sana’a and other areas controlled by the Houthi rebels, a group supported by Iran and designated as a terrorist organization by the US and Australian governments
It is inconceivable that they [the weapons dealers] are not operating on the Houthis’ behalf,” said the former British Ambassador to Yemen, Edmund Fitton-Brown, who now works for the Counter Extremism Project.
“Purely private dealers who tried to profit from supplying, [for example] the government of Yemen, would be quickly shut down.”
An investigation by The Times uncovered that several Yemeni accounts on X, formerly Twitter, displayed the verified blue tick despite openly advertising weapons.
Both The Times and BBC have sought comment from X, but have yet to receive a response.
Notably, the platform’s content moderation team was significantly reduced following Elon Musk’s acquisition in 2022.
The advertisements, primarily in Arabic, target Yemeni customers in a country where firearms outnumber the population by a ratio of three to one.
The BBC has identified multiple online examples, with prices listed in both Yemeni and Saudi riyals.
“Premium craftsmanship and top-notch warranty,” says one advertisement. “The Yemeni-modified AK is your best choice.”
A shocking demonstration video, captured at night, depicts a seller firing a 30-round magazine on full automatic.
Meanwhile, another advertisement offers sand-colored Pakistani-manufactured Glock pistols for approximately $900 each.
Alarmingly, these postings are not concealed in the Dark Web’s hidden corners, where illicit goods are typically traded. Instead, they are openly displayed on X, readily accessible to millions of users.