As hope fades in Yemen, the UK must stop undermining chances for peace

As the humanitarian situation worsens in Yemen, the voices questioning the UK’s contradictory policies are growing louder, says Zarina Khan.

In September, Kate Nevens asked if we had abandoned our friends in Yemen; since then the situation has only worsened, and the UK has gone to considerable lengths to support Saudi Arabia in its military offensive and defend its decision to do so. Hundreds are dying every week, scores more are injured, infrastructure is crumbling, food is scarce, safe water is unavailable, fuel is running out, and electricity is in short supply. Hope is fading. Humanitarian agencies are struggling to get supplies in and around the country. They acknowledge that even with a complete ceasefire and full humanitarian access, the Yemeni population would remain in dire need – the result of months of devastating conflict and bombardment. As Robert Perkins (the author of State of Crisis: Explosive Weapons in Yemen) aptly says: “an already vulnerable population is now faced with a country reduced to rubble… it will take many years to recover from the last few terrible months in Yemen.”

The role of Saferworld’s UK advocacy work is to hold the Government to account on its commitments to prevent conflict and build stability overseas, and its legal obligations to uphold a responsible arms trade. It is our responsibility, therefore, to speak out when they are actively undermining chances for peace, as they are doing right now in Yemen.

The UK government has asserted that only a political solution will bring peace and security to Yemen. It supports the UN in its efforts to continue negotiations, and urges all sides to the conflict to join them and agree to a ceasefire. Yet the credibility of its calls for a ceasefire and political solution has been significantly undermined by continued UK support for the Saudi-led military campaign. The UK is supplying Saudi Arabia with, among other things, more than £9 million worth of bombs for use by the air force, approved for export between April and June of this year. Not only are airstrikes exacerbating fighting on the ground by the Houthis and other armed groups, but they have been implicated in numerous reports of war crimes including the destruction of heavily populated areas such as civilian homes, schools, markets and mosques.

The UK government continues to accept assurances from the Saudi government that International Humanitarian Law is being respected, despite evidence from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam to the contrary. The Government has not shifted its position even as the number of civilian casualties climbs ever higher, and it shows no signs of supporting independent investigations into the Coalition’s conduct. Indeed, the Government has gone so far as to help block a Dutch resolution to the UN Human Rights Council to launch such an investigation, while supporting Saudi Arabia’s election to the Council.

Though Yemen seems tragically low on the political and public agenda, the voices asking questions about UK complicity in this crisis are growing louder. BBC Newsnight’s coverage brought significant public attention to the issue, journalists are writing about the conflict despite little or no access to the country, NGOs continue to operate in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and parliamentarians are increasingly active in challenging the Government on its position.

It is vital that these voices keep pushing the Government to make genuine and credible paths for peace, keep expressing opposition to counterproductive airstrikes, and keep at the front of all of our minds the countless Yemenis that have lost their lives and the millions more at risk. It is our commitment to help restore hope to Yemeni people and reduce their suffering – not defence exports, intelligence agreements, nor strategic relationships – which should drive the UK’s policy towards Yemen.

Read Saferworld's submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Yemen inquiry into the role of the UK government in the current conflict.

Find out more about our work in Yemen.

“The credibility of UK government calls for a ceasefire and political solution in Yemen have been significantly undermined by continued support for the Saudi-led military campaign.”

Zarina Khan