Tri-Service

Saudi Arabia Confirms It Used British Made Bombs In Yemen

Saudi Arabia has confirmed it has used British made cluster bombs in Yemen – despite previous denials.

The official announcement came before the Defence Secretary made a statement to MP about the weapons which Britain banned 6 years ago.

"It has become apparent that there was limited use by the Coalition of the UK-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions in Yemen. This munitions was used against legitimate military targets to defend Saudi towns and villages against continuous attacks by Houthi militia, which resulted in Saudi civilian casualties."

"Finally, the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms that it decided to cease usage of the UK-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions. Thereafter, the Saudi Government has informed the UK Government about this decision."

It’ll increase pressure on the UK over the supply of arms, and British military advisers, to Saudi Arabia.

The prime minister of Yemen's rebel Houthi government has accused the UK of "war crimes" for supplying arms to the coalition which is conducting military operations to restore the previous regime overthrown in 2015.

Sir Michael Fallon addressed the House of Commons this evening on the reports.

The Defence Secretary said that the UK fully supports both the coalition fighting the Houthi rebels and the right of Saudi Arabia to defend itself.

He says that instability in Yemen threatens not just the Gulf but also the security of western Europe.

The defence secretary says that there have been allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law and that the UK takes such allegations "very seriously".

He says that the UK signed a convention on cluster munitions in 2008 and has not supplied such munitions to Saudi Arabia since 1989.

Sir Michael told MPs that the investigation by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has concluded that a limited number of cluster munitions exported from UK in the 1980s were dropped in Yemen.

He also confirmed that Saudi Arabia have pledged to not use these munitions in future.

Arab coalition spokesman Ahmed Asiri said it had "become apparent that there was limited use by the Coalition of the UK-manufactured BL-755 cluster munition in Yemen".

Because of their extraordinary risk to civilians, cluster bombs were banned in 2010 in an international treaty signed by Britain.

But the coalition spokesman said Saudi Arabia had not violated international law because it had not signed up to the convention.

Amnesty International called for a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Its UK director Kate Allen said:

"Over the years, the UK has sold billions and billions of pounds' worth of weapons - including cluster bombs - to Saudi Arabia, and it's hardly a surprise they're turning up in bombed-out villages in Yemen... It doesn't require a belated 'investigation' within the MoD to tell us what we already knew - that the UK should immediately suspend all further weapons sales to Saudi Arabia that risk fuelling these appalling atrocities in Yemen."