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Corbyn Reiterates Call for UK to Stop Selling Arms To Saudi Arabia

Corbyn Reiterates Call for UK to Stop Selling Arms To Saudi Arabia
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UK's Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn reiterated his call for the Government to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia, in retaliation for its crimes.

Corbyn Reiterates Call for UK to Stop Selling Arms To Saudi Arabia

In an interview with the Al-Jazeera English news channel, Corbyn branded the autocratic petro-state's military operation in the country as an "invasion".

"We have constantly condemned the use of these weapons by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and called for the suspension of the arms sales to Saudi Arabia to show that we are wanting a peace process in Yemen, not an invasion by Saudi Arabia."

Saudi Arabia launched its deadly campaign against Yemen in March 2015 to push back the Ansarullah revolutionaries from Sana'a and to bring back to power Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Yemen's president who has resigned and is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The campaign, which lacks any international mandate and has faced increasing criticism, claimed the lives of more than 12,000 people so far.

The relentless airstrikes have also put more than half of all health facilities in Yemen in a state of complete or partial shutdown. Furthermore, the war-torn nation has been grappling with a deadly cholera outbreak since last October, which has killed some 600 people since April.

Nearly 3.3 million Yemeni people, including 2.1 million children, are currently suffering from acute malnutrition. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country's facilities and infrastructure, destroying many hospitals, schools, and factories.

The country is also on the verge of starvation with almost on the verge of famine as of the most recent reports. Saudi forces have been accused of bombing food factories and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Britain continues to sell arms - including bombs and missiles - to the autocratic monarchy despite calls by from international bodies and British parliamentary committees to stop supplying the regime.

Labor's 2017 election manifesto pledged to stop such arms sales, a policy first revealed by The Independent before the document's official publication.

A court challenge to block the sales is currently pending after months of deliberation. Documents made public in the trial show the civil servant in charge of the Government's export control organization recommended that sales be suspended.

But Theresa May and Boris Johnson repeatedly backed the Saudi regime and said that remaining close to it is good for the UK's security.

The Government says Britain has among the strictest arms export control criteria in the world.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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