Oxfam Hits Out At UK Government Over Saudi Arabia Arms Sales

Oxfam will today accuse the Government of being in "denial and disarray" over weapons sales to Saudi Arabia.

There are concerns the weapons are being used in the country's intervention in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is supporting the Yemeni government in its war with Shia Houthi rebels.

The UK Government has faced repeated calls to ban the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia amid concerns that international humanitarian law (IHL) is being broken in the conflict.

Saudi Arabia, whose offensive includes airstrikes, has said it takes care to minimise civilian casualties but the UN says more than 6,000 people have died in the conflict.

Britain's apparent reluctance to halt arms sales has prompted Oxfam to claim the Government has switched from being an enthusiastic backer of the Arms Trade Treaty to "one of the most significant violators".

The treaty, of which the UK is a signatory, seeks to regulate the international weapons trade.

:: Exclusive: UK Helping Saudi's Yemen Campaign

The charity will use the second conference of states party to the treaty in Geneva later on Tuesday to attack the Government's stance.

Penny Lawrence, deputy chief executive of Oxfam GB, will say: "UK arms and military support are fuelling a brutal war in Yemen, harming the very people the Arms Trade Treaty is designed to protect.

"Schools, hospitals and homes have been bombed in contravention of the rules of war.

"The UK government is in denial and disarray over its arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition bombing campaign in Yemen.

"It has misled its own parliament about its oversight of arms sales and its international credibility is in jeopardy as it commits to action on paper but does the opposite in reality.

:: Concerns Raised About UK's Role In Yemen War

"How can the Government insist that others abide by a treaty it helped set up if it flagrantly ignores it?"

Oxfam estimates more than 21 million people in Yemen need humanitarian aid - more than any other country.

The Government said earlier this year it was confident Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen was not breaking international humanitarian law.

But it later corrected those statements and said assessments to verify such a claim had not been carried out.

It said the original statements were made in error and were not a deliberate attempt to mislead.

A Government spokeswoman said: "The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world.

"The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK's export licensing criteria.

"The key test for our continued arms exports to Saudi Arabia in relation to international humanitarian law (IHL) is whether there is a clear risk that those weapons might be used in a serious violation of IHL.

"The situation is kept under careful and continual review."