Australia selling arms to Saudis amid war crimes in Yemen

YemenExtra

Australian firms have signed military contracts to provide weapons to Saudi Arabia, despite the regime’s ongoing war in Yemen that has killed over 12,000 people since March 2015.

The Australian Department of Defense has secured four contracts to export weapons to Riyadh in the past year and Canberra has led the push for more arms sales.

Australian Defense Industry Minister Christopher Pyne visited Riyadh in December to promote military equipment to Saudi officials.

“The minister received a very positive reception, as did the business representatives who visited,” a spokeswoman for Pyne said.

Pyne, who reports to the Minister for Defense, is refusing to release details of the approved military sales, citing commercial-in-confidence rules.

Sarah Phillips, a University of Sydney researcher told the Sydney Morning Herald that Saudi Arabia has used brutal tactics in Yemen and its airstrikes have been “reckless,” hitting funerals and hospitals at times.

Asked about Australian military exports to Saudi Arabia, Phillips said: “I would find that deeply concerning, with the ways in which previous assistance from other Western nations has been used upon the civilian population.”