Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Media silent as US and UK train Saudi forces responsible for war crimes in Yemen...

Just over a year since the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen began, an estimated 3,000 civilians have been killed, and 82% of the population needs some form of humanitarian assistance. Water shortages and a fuel blockade — combined with air strikes and sniper attacks — have transformed the region into a humanitarian crisis. Twenty-two of Yemen’s governorates teeter on the edge of famine. Since the assault began, over 31,000 war wounded have been treated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who claim ordinary people are bearing the brunt of an increasingly brutal conflict. There are no journalists in sight. There is no corporate media attention.

While the Syrian conflict is plastered on the pages of most mainstream news outlets, Yemen has been met with indifference and, until recently, a virtual media blackout. Writing for Stop The War, Nawal Al-Maghafi sums up the reason for the silence of the Western media on the devastation:

“Unlike in Syria, the U.K. and U.S. are two of the primary causes of the problem in Yemen. Put simply, a coalition of the wealthiest Arab states have joined forces to bomb and starve one of the poorest, with the assistance of two of the world’s richest and most powerful powers, ” she wrote.

But thanks to campaign groups and humanitarian agencies, some details of the catastrophe began to trickle out towards the end of last year. Here in the U.K., we quickly discovered Britain has licensed £2.8m of arms exports to Saudi Arabia since the war began. In addition — and despite years of ministerial denials — a six-month long Vice investigation recently uncovered British involvement in the covert U.S. programme in Yemen, including secret drone strikes. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Saudi Arabia used U.S. cluster bombs on civilians...
  2. Saudi Arabia is killing civilians with US bombs...
  3. Saudi Arabia buys 'international silence' about its atrocities in Yemen...
  4. Cluster bombs: major powers refuse to ban them...
  5. Despite atrocities, U.S. approves $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia...
  6. US approves $11.25 billion warship sale to Saudi Arabia...
  7. Yemen carnage: ‘Stop arming Saudi Arabian regime,’ CAAT tells UK govt...

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