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Yemen: Dozens killed in bombing of school bus


On Thursday morning, the Saudi-led coalition bombed a school bus in Yemen. Dozens of people were killed, mainly children. Abdul-Ghani Nayeb, a health department chief in Saada, has said that at over 40 people were killed and 60 injured.

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade point out that this is the latest in a long line of Saudi-inflicted atrocities. The war has killed thousands of civilians and created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

UK government statistics show that since the bombardment began in 2015, the UK has licensed £4.7 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia, including: £2.7 billion worth of ML10 licences (Aircraft, helicopters, drones) and £1.9 billion worth of ML4 licences (Grenades, bombs, missiles, countermeasures).

Andrew Smith of Campaign Against Arms Trade said: "This atrocity cannot be ignored. Those responsible must be held fully accountable. Thousands of people have been killed in this terrible war, and many more will be as long as the bombardment continues.

The UK government has been utterly complicit in the destruction. It has armed and supported the Saudi-led coalition right from the start. The death toll has spiraled, and the humanitarian crisis has only got worse, and yet the arms sales have continued."

Pope Francis has spoken out against the arms trade on several occasions.

In his monthly prayer intention for June last year Pope Francis said: "It's an absurd contradiction to speak of peace, to negotiate peace, and at the same time promote or permit the arms trade. Is this war or that war really a war to solve problems, or is it a commercial war for selling weapons in illegal trade, and so that the merchants of death get rich?... Let us pray all together that national leaders may firmly commit themselves to ending the arms trade which victimizes so many innocent people."


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