MORE than 60,000 people have urged the UK to stop arming war in Yemen in a petition handed to the Foreign Office yesterday.
Save the Children ambassadors Joely Richardson and Natasha Kaplinsky are amongst those backing the charity’s push to force a suspension in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which is accused of using UK-made arms in war crimes against the population.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Yemen is now in its third year of turmoil, with its oil-rich Gulf neighbour leading an international coalition – which supports the elected government – against the armed Houthi movement. Disease, malnutrition, food shortage and poverty are rife as the country is starved of basic supplies.
Save the Children claims more than 15,000 air strikes have taken place, with the coalition bombings claiming the lives of half of the conflict’s 1600 child victims.
Actor Richardson said: “Children should never be the victims of war, and they should be protected, and we shouldn’t be selling arms towards anyone that would bomb children and civilians.”
Asking Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to “save the children of Yemen”, she went on: “There are 17 million people who are being starved ... famine, cholera, the air strikes. It’s a terrible situation.”
Schoolchildren joined Richardson and TV presenter Kaplinsky outside the Houses of Parliament yesterday with the “unnamed child” statue, which symbolises Yemen’s youngsters.
The UK has sold £4.6 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since air strikes in Yemen began, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Calling on Johnson to act as a “global leader”, Jack Madden, of Save the Children, said: “He can suspend weapon sales to Saudi Arabia to help stop fuelling the conflict, and to make sure that we maintain funding and access for aid into the country in order to help rebuild children’s lives.”
Meanwhile, Johnson and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said Iran should stop sending weapons into Yemen if it is committed to a political solution. In a joint statement, they said Saudi Arabia has “the right to defend itself against security threats including missiles launched from Yemen” and called on a resumption of peace talks, adding: “We will continue to play our part in restoring the peace and security needed for Yemenis to resume normal lives.”
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