Sunday, November 22, 2020

Countdown to catastrophe in Yemen

 “Making billions from arms exports which fuel the conflict while providing a small fraction of that in aid to Yemen is both immoral and incoherent.”  Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director, Muhsin Siddiquey remarked  “The world’s wealthiest nations cannot continue to put profits above the Yemeni people.”

The members of the G20 which is currently being hosted by Saudi Arabia have exported over $17 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since it intervened in the Yemen civil war.

Yemen is in imminent danger of the worst famine the world has seen in decades, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned.

"In the absence of immediate action, millions of lives may be lost," Guterres said.

 The UN requires about $1.5 billion this year for its humanitarian operations in Yemen. To date, it has received less than half of that. 

In contrast,  the USA has  through the $23 billon sale of 50 F-35 fighter aircraft, 18 MQ-9B Reaper drones, air-to-air missiles and various other munitions to the United Arab Emirates, another member of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition that has been pounding Yemen since 2015.  

The Yemen Civil War Arms Bonanza | Countercurrents

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