Association for Defending Victims of Terrorism – Oxfam figures show that hundreds of Saudi-led attacks on civilians were carried out over recent period using weapons supplied by the US and UK
The UK has been helping to fuel a renewed “pattern of violence against civilians” in Yemen through its arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition, a new report has warned.
In the report, titled Fuelling Violence, Oxfam said they had counted more than 1,700 attacks on civilians in Yemen between January 2021 and the end of February 2022, a quarter of which were by the coalition solely using weapons supplied by the US and UK.
During the period referenced, Oxfam found that the coalition was responsible for 87 civilian deaths and 136 injuries, as well as 19 attacks on hospitals, clinics and ambulances and 293 attacks that forced people to flee their homes.
“The sheer number of attacks on civilians is stark testament to the terrible tragedy the people of Yemen have suffered,” said Martin Butcher, Oxfam’s policy advisor on arms and conflict and author of the report, in a statement.
“Our analysis shows there is a pattern of violence against civilians, and all sides in this conflict have not done enough to protect civilian life, which they are obligated to do under International Humanitarian Law.”
The country has licensed at least £7.9bn ($9.6bn) in arms to Saudi Arabia across 547 licences since 2015.
