Amnesty International calls for halt to arms sales to Saudi-led coalition after ‘weapons end up in hands of al-Qaeda and Islamic State’
- Humanitarian organisation says American and British weapons have ended up in the hands of militants
Western governments must stop supplying weapons to parties to the conflict in Yemen after reports that the weapons are ending up in the hands of extremist groups, an international rights group urged on Wednesday.
Amnesty International’s arms control and human rights researcher Patrick Wilcken said in a statement that “the proliferation of unaccountable, UAE-backed militias is worsening the humanitarian crisis and posing a growing threat to the civilian population”.
Wilcken said American and British weapons have ended up in the hands of al-Qaeda and Islamic State militants, in reference to recent reports by the Amman-based Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism. The United Arab Emirates has not commented on the allegations.
The Saudi-led coalition, which includes the United Arab Emirates, has been at war in Yemen with Iran-aligned Houthi rebels since 2015.
An Associated Press report last August uncovered deals struck between the coalition and al-Qaeda, during which weapons and cash passed from Gulf commanders and their allies to al-Qaeda-linked militants fighting alongside them against the rebels.
