The United Kingdom signed a nearly 1.4 billion ($ 1.9bn) worth of arms exports to Saudi Arabia between July and September last year after a ban on arms sales to the United States. Gulf – a move believed to be “immoral” amid the ongoing war in Yemen.
The release of the figures by the UK department for international trade on Tuesday came days after new US President Joe Biden said his country was ending all support “for offensive work” by a Saudi-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including “relevant arms sales”.
The news prompted major calls for the UK – largely the US – to do the same, but so far British officials have refused to follow suit.
The previous UK moratorium on arms sales to Saudi Arabia came into force in June 2019 after their Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling forcing officials to halt sales amid concerns that members- weapons used in violation of international humanitarian law.
A subsequent government investigation found “isolated incidents” of possible breaches by Saudi forces in Yemen, but “without a clear risk” of future serious breaches. Officials announced in July 2020 that the UK would resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia – the largest arms buyer – following the conclusions of the review.
In the period three months after the restart, the UK approved arms exports worth 1.39 billion pounds ($ 1.9bn), according to government figures. The arms sector’s imports of missiles and bombs accounted for 1.36 billion pounds ($ 1.88bn) of sales, although the figures did not say which manufacturers the exporters found. .
Anti-arms trade activists called the sale “appalling” and said the figures “reflect the UK government’s determination to continue developing weapons at all costs”.
“Weapons made by the UK have played a devastating role in the Saudi-led attacks on Yemen, and the humanitarian crisis they have created, but the UK government has done everything possible to increase the sale of arms. keep flowing, “Sarah Waldron, a spokeswoman for the Anti – Arms Trafficking Initiative (CAAT), said in a statement Tuesday.
“Now even the US is banning their arms sales, while the UK government continues to fuel the war,” Waldron said at CAAT. “They need to change course now and work to support meaningful peace.”
Martin Butcher, a conflict adviser to international support group Oxfam, said UK politicians had “once again… put a profit before Yemeni live” and sold the weapons listed on Tuesday as “immoral”. .
“Exports of arms to Saudi Arabia should stop immediately,” Butcher said in a statement. “Yemen is living through the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with two-thirds of the population dependent on food aid but nonetheless people are benefiting from the misery caused by the sales that weapon. “
Al Jazeera argued with the Department of International Trade to address the allegations made against the government. In response, a spokesman said the UK was operating “one of the most comprehensive export control regimes in the world”.
“The government pays close attention to its export obligations and rigorously evaluates all export licenses according to strict licensing criteria,” the spokesman said. issue any export licenses where this would be inconsistent with these criteria. “
The conflict in Yemen began in 2014 when the Houthis seized major oaths of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
The war escalated in March 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition became involved in an attempt by President Abd-Rabbu’s government to reinstate Mansour Hadi.
The coalition was supported by a number of Western powers, including the UK and the US. According to CAAT, the UK has allowed arms sales worth 6.8 billion pounds ($ 9.3bn) to Saudi Arabia since March 2015.
Since then both sides in the Yemeni conflict have been charged with war crimes during a fighting that has killed more than 110,000 people so far, including more than 12,500 civilians, according to the Armed Conflict Situation and Data project Events.
Peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict have been suspended from late 2018, despite continued efforts by UN officials to resume talks and end what it describes as the humanitarian crisis largest in the world.
According to the UN, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people depend on humanitarian aid for survival.