Saudi Arabia: Global pressure calling for end to arms sales
US lawmakers propose bill that also calls for end to military co-operation after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing and over war in Yemen.
Rights groups are ramping up pressure against Saudi Arabia’s leadership calling on the international community to close its doors on arms sales after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi and over the war in Yemen.
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have introduced a bill to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia. It would also cut military co-operation, unless American investigators can prove that the Saudi government did not order the killing of Khashoggi.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has joined other European countries in calling for a “credible” investigation and has halted a weapons deals with Saudi Arabia.
The Campaign Against Arms Trade is challenging the British government’s decision to continue to licence the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia.
“Right now, UK made jets are flying over Yemen, they’re dropping UK-made bombs firing UK-made missiles and the results have created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today,” says Andrew Smith from the CAAT.
Yemen has been torn apart by conflict since 2015, when the Saudi led coalition launched an air campaign against the Houthi rebels. The United Nations is warning of widespread famine with half the population relying on humanitarian aid and millions displaced.
Al Jazeera’s Raheela Mahomed looks at how international pressure is also growing online.