The authorities in Ethiopia’s restive north-western Amhara State have announced the seizure of thousands of assorted illegal firearms, including over 5,000 pistols, in the past nine months.
The security office in the region said 2,104 firearms, 5,272 assorted pistols and 168,774 rounds of ammunition for different weapons had been recovered.
The office said it also seized 11,658 livestock and contraband goods from “smugglers and robbers”.
It added that 225 suspected smugglers and 2,446 robbers had been arrested.
Arms trafficking has become widespread in Ethiopia in the past three years, a development that threatens its national security.
