Amnesty International welcomes US suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Amnesty International has welcomed the United States decision to freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calling on European countries to follow suit and end weapons exports to the two countries involved in the devastating war on Yemen.
“President [Joe] Biden’s decision to freeze arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE represents a welcome relief in an otherwise shameful chapter of history. Almost six years of conflict in Yemen, fueled by irresponsible arms transfers, have left 14 million Yemenis in dire need of humanitarian assistance,” Philippe Nassif, advocacy director for West Asia and North Africa at Amnesty International USA, said on Thursday.
He added, “The suspension of arms sales by the US is a step in the right direction and ups the pressure on European countries, most notably the UK and France, to follow suit and stop fueling the human misery in Yemen.”
Nassif highlighted that Amnesty International has been for years warning Western states against complicity in war crimes being perpetrated in Yemen as they continue to supply the Saudi-led coalition with arms.
On Wednesday, Mick Wallace, an independent Member of the European Parliament (MEP) slammed Europe’s support for the ongoing Saudi-led military onslaught on Yemen, arguing that EU nations have done little to condemn the attacks and deal with the humanitarian catastrophe there.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned in December that Yemen is the country most at risk of a humanitarian catastrophe in 2021.