Military export to UAE is a shame on Norway
The Country Director of Save the Children in Yemen rages against the Norwegian exports of military equipment to countries that are waging war in Yemen.
The «blowout» comes the same day as the annual report on Norwegian exports of weapons and military equipment is being processed in the Norwegian Parliament.
“At work for Save the Children in Yemen, I daily see how the country’s population suffers. On the ground, we meet desperate families with malnourished children tethering between life and death. To end the suffering, we must end the conflict,” says Country Director of Save the Children in Yemen, Tamer Kirolos.
Shame on Norway
“Therefore, it is a shame that the Norwegian Parliament continues to allow the sale of military equipment to the coalition that is waging war in the country under Saudi Arabia’s leadership,” he rages.
The Country Director follows the Parliamentary debate in Oslo on Tuesday.
The conflict in Yemen has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the UN. About 14 million Yemenis are in danger of being affected by hunger and starvation.
Clear message
As a result of the dramatic situation in Yemen, the Norwegian Government has decided not to sell weapons and ammunition to the warring countries.
After pressure from several parties, relief organisations and religious communities, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservatives), decided before Christmas to stop the export of other Norwegian military equipment to Saudi Arabia as well.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is the country in the coalition that has the most ground forces deployed in Yemen, is still buying military supplies from Norway based on existing contracts.
“I ask the politicians in Norway to take their historical responsibility and tell the Government to stop all sales of military equipment to the Saudi coalition that wages war in Yemen. That is the only right to do, and it will send a clear message to the world community,” Kirolos urges.
10.000 killed
The war in Yemen between the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition has been going on since 2015.
The parties met for the first hesitant peace talks in Sweden in December. There are also talks about Yemen’s economy (or lack of such) underway in Jordan.
Despite a ceasefire agreement that entered into force on December 18th, the United Nations states that hostilities have taken place at the front line near Hodeida, which the rebels, supported by Iran, control.
The war has cost 10,000 people their lives, and more than 50,000 have been injured in it so far. At the same time, three million people have been displaced because of the conflict triggered when Shiite rebels took control of the capital Sana four years ago from the weak, mainly Sunni, Government.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
