Yemen War : the UK supporting Saudi Arabia’s war crimes

British weapons in the Saudi army in the Yemen war are against human rights. It shows that the British government is complicit in Saudi’s war crimes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia plays a vital role in the world energy market. The interests of Western oil companies in the Saudi oil market are pretty evident. Some western countries, including the UK, support the Saudi regime’s human rights violations in Yemen for such interests. Jeremy Corbyn condemns the British government for selling weapons to Saudi Arabia.     

Saudi Arabia in the World energy market

The energy sector is the backbone of the Saudi economy. The Kingdom possesses a quarter of the world’s proven oil reserves. It is the world’s largest producer and exporter of oil. In addition, with the discovery of deposits of precious and semi-precious metals, Saudi Arabia expects to become a major exporter of minerals in the coming decades. This country has one-quarter of the world’s known oil reserves. Therefore, it plays a unique role in the global energy industry. Its policies on the production and export of oil and natural gas significantly impact the energy market. Saudi Arabia has taken steps to expand the energy sector and encourage more significant investment, especially by foreign companies. The interests of some western countries in Saudi Arabia have caused them to support Saudi’s war crimes and human rights violations in Yemen.  

Saudi’s war crimes and human rights violations in Yemen

As it says in Counterfire, the Saudi-led coalition’s assault on Yemen for seven years has destroyed the country. This bloodshed has created a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. Unicef has reported that over half of Yemenis are suffering severe hunger. Moreover, the UN has estimated 377,000 war-related deaths by the end of 2021. Almost 60% of the death toll is because of the humanitarian crisis. The majority of deaths are among children below the age of five, with one dying every nine minutes.

According to Human Rights Watch, UNICEF warned in 2021 that children were facing the highest levels of severe malnutrition. More than two million children are severely malnourished. Furthermore, nearly 400,000 children under five are at imminent risk of death. UNICEF stated in August that 2 million children were out of school. One in six schools was not useable due to war damage.

Western Countries and War in Yemen 

According to Aljazeera (2017), the Saudi-led air fight and subsequent blockade have created a humanitarian disaster in Yemen. This country is the Arab world’s poorest country. 

According to Sana’a Center For Strategic Studies, since 2015, the US has supported Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The support includes billions of dollars worth of weapons, training and logistical support, including aerial refuelling until 2018. With this support, the coalition conducts its aerial bombing campaigns. Human Rights Watch has documented the Saudi-led coalition’s use of US-manufactured weapons. They used the weapons in at least 21 unlawful attacks. The US continues to support the coalition committing war crimes in Yemen. 

As it says on Aljazeera, the UK has approved arms export licences to Saudi Arabia. This indicates that the British government also supports the Saudi regime in crimes in Yemen. 

British weapons used in Saudi’s war crimes

UK-made weapons are used in Saudi’s war crimes in Yemen. According to CAMPAIGN AGAINST ARMS TRADE, UK weapons play a central role in the war in Yemen. The British government admits that the Saudi-led coalition has attacked the country using weapons made in the UK. Over half of Saudi Arabia’s combat aircraft used for the bombing attacks are UK-supplied. UK-made equipment used includes Typhoon and Tornado aircraft, Paveway bombs, and Brimstone and Stormshadow missiles. The UK weapons have played a part in attacks on civilian targets committed by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Researchers have discovered weapons fragments that reveal UK-made weapons in attacks on civilian targets.

Jeremy Corbyn’s stance on Yemen War

Jeremy Corbyn has condemned the British government for supporting and selling weapons to Saudi Arabia. Jeremy Corbyn is a British politician who has served as an MP and the Leader of the Labour Party. According to Aljazeera (2017), he called for stopping arms sales to Saudi Arabia and a ceasefire in Yemen. The UK approved arms export licences to Saudi Arabia worth $4.1bn. Corbyn had an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera. In the interview, he said: “We have constantly condemned the use of these weapons by Saudi Arabia in Yemen”.

According to Al Mayadeen, Jeremy Corbyn says that the UK government is complicit in the crimes in Yemen. Arms sales to Saudi Arabia must end now. The former British MP Jeremy stood in solidarity with Yemen against the Saudi-led coalition’s murderous acts in the war-torn country. Counterfire says, with Corbyn in charge, Labour pressed the government for immediate action to stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia.  

Final remark 

Some western countries supply weapons to Saudi Arabia. These countries claim that they apply the highest standards of arms trade regulations. However, these countries sell weapons to a few ultra-rich oil countries for financial profit. Western states support undemocratic regimes in a war that has denied Yemen’s people the most basic human rights. (Mwatana for Human Rights)

Moreover, these western governments, including the British government, are following the interests of their oil companies in Saudi Arabia. These governments do not care about innocent Yemeni people’s severe poverty, hunger, and death. They sell weapons to Saudi Arabia to achieve their economic goals. They do not care that the Saudi regime uses those weapons in murderous war crimes. Thus, the British government is an accomplice in Saudi’s war crimes.