Recent UN calls for a ceasefire in Yemen to curb the spread of Covid-19 may be absent from front pages in the UK, but their significance for the prospects of bringing an end to Yemen’s catastrophic war will not be lost on Yemenis.
The progress of this war, which has seen horrific international law violations by the Saudi and UAE-led coalition, the Yemeni government and forces loyal to it, and the Houthi armed group they are fighting, should concern the British public given the country’s critical support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through the sale of weapons. Since March 2015, Coalition airstrikes have played a defining role in the decimation of Yemeni civilian life, through bombings of civilian gatherings, homes and essential infrastructure. Since March 2015, more than £11 bn worth of UK arms have been licensed to Saudi Arabia.
When Boris Johnson was Foreign Secretary, he used his decisive influence in the arms licensing process to recommend approval of the continued sale of weapons by British companies to Saudi Arabia, despite strong evidence that the Coalition had been carrying out indiscriminate and disproportionate strikes on civilians and civilian property in violation of international humanitarian law. The prime minister’s casual approach to Yemeni civilian life was astounding.
