UK weapons companies earned over £6bn from Yemen war: Charity

British weapons manufacturers have earned more than £6 billion from their deals with Saudi Arabia ever since the beginning of the kingdom’s ruthless war on its southern neighbor Yemen, a campaign group says.

War Child UK said Tuesday that companies such as BAE Systems and Raytheon had raked in £600 million in sheer profits from the deadly war, which has killed over 12,000 Yemenis since its beginning more than two and a half years ago.

The charity said the manufacturers were basically “profiteering from the deaths of innocent children” by arming the Saudis and their allies with advanced missiles and other equipment, including attack aircraft.

Rocco Blume, a conflict and humanitarian adviser at the organization, told The Independent that London was also getting money for maintaining the weapons.

He said the trend indicated that the country was becoming “less fussy” about international trading partners as it felt the pressure to secure more deals before leaving the European Union (EU).

The Tory government of Prime Minister Theresa May has remained defiant in the face of growing pressure to stop the arms exports, defending the trade amid evidence of war crimes and civilian deaths in Yemen.

UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon also boasted at the same event that Britain had secured military orders totaling £5.9 billion in 2016, making it the world’s second-largest weapons exporter.

EA