Campaigners condemn Spanish u-turn on bomb sales to Saudi Arabia

The Spanish government has announced that it will go ahead with the sale of sale of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia. This u-turn follows a decision last week to halt the sales. The original decision came in the aftermath a Saudi air strike on a school bus that killed dozens of children.

The deal is thought to be worth $10.6 million, which has already been paid to the Spanish government. According to the Spanish Foreign Minister, Joseph Borrell "The decision is that these bombs will be delivered to honor a contract that comes from 2015, and was made by the previous government."

The UK is also a major supplier of arms to the Saudi regime. 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: "The Spanish government's decision is very disappointing. It is a clear case of political cowardice and putting arms sales ahead of human rights. This terrible war could not be fought without the complicity and support of arms dealing governments like the ones in Spain and the UK."