Belgian peace organisation Vredesactie (Peace Action) has released an infographic showing the impact of the European arms trade on the war in Yemen.
Belgian weapons exported to Saudi Arabia were used in the war in Yemen, although they were supposedly intended solely for the use of the kingdom’s Royal and National Guards, according to a Vredesactie report.
The infographic contains the following text:
“This war is made in Europe. European arms manufacturers are arming the Saudi-led coalition and are thereby profiting from war and suffering.
The European criteria, however, are clear: exporting arms is illegal if there is a real risk of these arms being used in an active conflict or for committing crimes against humanity.
It’s time governments started respecting their own export regulations, as the Belgian State Council recently clarified. We are calling for a European arms embargo against all members of the Saudi-led coalition.”
In August 2020, Belgium’s administrative court decided to suspend a license of a company in the southern region of Wallonia to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, under pressure from human rights organisations.
