- The UK has licensed £4.6 billion worth of fighter jets and bombs to the Saudi regime since the bombing of Yemen began three years ago
- The bombing campaign has created a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen
- A huge new deal for 48 more Typhoon aircraft is close to completion
It has been three years since the Saudi-led coalition began its brutal bombardment of Yemen.
The situation has been described by UN agencies as ‘the worst humanitarian crisis in the world’ with over 22 million people in need of assistance. The last year has seen the humanitarian catastrophe getting worse: Save the Children estimates that 50,000 children died in 2017 alone as a result of the crisis.
Despite this, the Saudi military is the world’s largest buyer of UK arms. The UK has licensed over £4.6 billion of UK arms in the three years since the bombing campaign began. These include:
- £2.7 billion worth of ML10 licences (Aircraft, helicopters, drones)
- £1.9 billion worth of ML4 licences (Grenades, bombs, missiles, countermeasures)
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence announced that it was close to confirming a new deal to sell the regime 48 more Typhoon jets. This followed a controversial visit by the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, who was met outside Downing Street with large protests.
Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said:
Yemen has endured three years of destruction, but the arms sales haven’t stopped. The war is entering its fourth year, and the humanitarian crisis is only getting worse.
Theresa May and her colleagues must end their shameful complicity in the destruction. If the government wants to do the right thing for the people of Yemen then it must stop arming and supporting the brutal Saudi regime.
ENDS
For further information, or to see a breakdown of polling, please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297.
