Profit before Yemeni lives: UK approved $1.9bn arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The United Kingdom signed off on arms exports worth nearly 1.4 billion pounds ($1.9bn) to Saudi Arabia between July and September last year following the lifting of a ban on weapons sales to the Gulf country – a move critics slammed as “immoral” amid the continuing war in Yemen.

The publishing of the figures by the UK’s Department for International Trade on Tuesday came days after new United States President Joe Biden said his country was ending all support “for offensive operations” by a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, including “relevant arms sales”.

Campaigners said the newly released figures highlighted the discrepancy between the UK and the US, as President Joe Biden halted similar arms sales to Riyadh last week.

‘Once again UK politicians have put profit before Yemeni lives’

– Martin Butcher, Oxfam

“These new figures are shocking and once again illustrate the UK government’s determination to keep supplying arms at any cost,” Sarah Waldron, of the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (Caat), said in a statement.

“UK-made weapons have played a devastating role in the Saudi-led attacks on Yemen, and the humanitarian crisis they have created, yet the UK government has done everything it can to keep the arms sales flowing.”

The comments were echoed by Martin Butcher, Oxfam’s conflict adviser, who called the sales “immoral”.

“Once again, UK politicians have put profit before Yemeni lives,” he said.

“This is the largest increase in arms exports to Saudi Arabia since March 2015 and takes the known total of licences up to £6.7bn since the Saudi intervention in Yemen started.

“Yemen is living through the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with two-thirds of the population reliant on food aid, and yet people are profiteering from the misery caused by these arms sales.”