Andrew Smith, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Arms Trade, said of Saudi Arabia’s role in Yemen: “The bombing has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. UK arms companies have profited every step of the way” PAMinisters have temporarily suspended the award of new arms exports licences to Saudi Arabia after campaigners won a major legal challenge at the Court of Appeal. The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) argued that continuing to license the sale of military equipment to Saudi Arabia was unlawful owing to alleged violations of international humanitarian law by a coalition of forces led by the Gulf kingdom in the Yemeni civil war. This morning the court concluded that the government’s decision-making “was wrong in law in one significant respect”, highlighting the lack of assessment on whether the Saudi-led coalition had breached international law. Liam Fox, international trade secretary, announced that the UK would not grant any new export licenses for Saudi Arabia or its military partners as…

Source: The Times June 20, 2019 11:09 UTC