US blocks arms deal with Saudi Arabia over Yemen

by Thusiyan
Dec 14, 2016

The United States announced that it will block the transfer of a set of precision-guided weapons to Saudi Arabia, over concerns regarding civilian casualties in the  conflict in Yemen.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said the United States has “long expressed some very significant concerns about the high rate of civilian casualties”.

He made the statement as the Obama administration announced the sale of about 16,000 guided munitions kits by Raytheon is to be blocked. The contract is estimated to have been worth $350 million, reports the New York Times.

However, other military contract with Saudi Arabia are set to continue, including a deal worth more than $3bn to supply military helicopters.

Sarah Margon, the Washington director at Human Rights Watch said more needed to be done, stating that “the absence of a more comprehensive ban, given the ongoing unlawful strikes and the potential U.S. complicity, is deeply concerning”.

See more from the New York Times here and the BBC here.

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