French President Macron under pressure over contributing to war crimes in Yemen

YemenExtra

M.A.

Two human rights organizations struggling to stop the French government from selling weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE have filed their case to France’s highest legal authority, Reuters reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been under pressure from human rights groups to reduce the level of relations with the Saudi-led coalition launching a war against Yemen, where more than 10,000 people have been killed since 2015, Reuters expressed.

According to the agency, Droit Solidarite, a legal non-governmental organization, and Aser, a specialist in arms issues, demanded last March to withdraw export licenses to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

She noted that the two organizations gave the French Prime Minister, Edward Philippe, a two-month deadline.

The groups said they would present a legal challenge on Monday to the Supreme Council of the Legal Authority in France, which advises the government on legislative matters and arbitration on public policy issues.

ASER et Droit Solidarite said in a statement: “It will leave (the Council of State) to decide on the legitimacy of the export licenses issued by the Prime Minister.”

The agency mentioned that the two organizations arguing that France violates national and international law by selling weapons used in the conflict in Yemen.

The United Nations and human rights groups accuse the Saudi-led coalition, backed by the US, of targeting civilians, amounting to war crimes, a charge that the Alliance denies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are major purchasers of French arms, and the country’s major defense companies, such as Dassault (ATMD.PA) and Thales (TCFP.PA), have major contracts in the Gulf.

Some European countries, including Germany, have reduced ties with the Saudi-led military alliance, but France, Britain and the United States have not followed suit.