UK and US weapons used in Yemen make them complicit

An Oxfam report, which analyzed 1727 attacks on Yemeni civilians since the start of 2021, shows that at least 839 civilians were killed and 1775 others were wounded during this time. 87 of the deaths were caused by airstrikes alone.

The aircraft used in the attacks, over half of which were British made, used cluster bombs, the use of which is banned by international law.

According to Press TV, the fatalities were due to artillery strikes, missile barrages, drone attacks, landmines, road side bombs and the use of light arms.

According to another report by an American think tank, the American Thinker, Saudi Arabia spends some $200 million per day to hire mercenaries and maintain the arms supply.

A large portion of this money goes to the UK for purchasing Typhoon and Tornado aircraft, Paveway bombs, as well as Brimstone and Storm Shadow missiles, making the UK fully complicit in the crimes committed against Yemeni civilians, as stated by the International Development Committee of the UK.

Given that the UK has a long history of defense exports to Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, and considering the evidence, it seems inevitable that any violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by the coalition have involved armaments supplied from the UK.

These arms have also been used by the Saudi led coalition to bomb health facilities on 19 separate instances which constitutes war crimes.

Oxfam's policy adviser, Martin Butcher, called on the UK government to immediately cease its arm sales to the Saudis. He also pointed out the hypocrisy of UK sanctions against Russia over alleged war crimes in Ukraine while turning a blind eye to the blatant war crimes of the Saudi coalition in Yemen. 

Butcher also highlighted the fact that the UK Government still continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, being its second biggest arms supplier, which will, inevitably, be used in the war against Yemen.

He revealed that the UK government have not only been arming Saudi Arabia but have also been very reluctant to use their position on the United Nations Security Council to push for peace.

ME