UNA-UK Yemen Campaign
Today, 26 March 2018, marks the third anniversary of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen. Three years of conflict has brought Yemen to its knees. Over a million have contracted cholera and eight times that number are on the brink of famine. There are 13 new civilian casualties per day, mostly caused by Saudi-led airstrikes. Medical facilities and schools have been destroyed. UNICEF Yemen summed it up:
“There seems to be no hope”.
But there is hope, and it centres on UK action.
The UK is the ‘lead’ country for Yemen on the Security Council. It also has close bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia – the country is leading military action against Yemen’s Houthi rebels and that is, according to the UN, responsible for the majority of civilian deaths.
UNA-UK is deeply concerned by the lack of progress at the Security Council, which has adopted just one substantive resolution on the situation. We believe the UK must build support for a new Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, and use its influence with Saudi Arabia to press them to adhere to it.
We are also dismayed that the UK has licenced almost £5bn of arms exports to Saudi Arabia since they intervened in Yemen and that it continues to do so today.
The UK holds a lot of sway on this issue, and it’s not doing enough. If MPs urge the Government to act, they have to listen. Please help:
Write to your Member of Parliament or meet your MP.
There are also opportunities for activists to take their local initiatives to the next level and connect with other campaigners. Take action first, then follow the next steps to get involved.