Italy blocks arms sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE over Yemen crimes

Italy has permanently stopped exports of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid worries over the two regimes’ continued war crimes in Yemen, in what human rights campaigners praised as a “historic” move that sets “an important precedent” for other European countries.

Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced the halt on Friday, citing Rome’s commitment to ending the bloodshed in Yemen and protecting human rights.

“This is an act that we considered necessary, a clear message of peace coming from our country. For us, the respect of human rights is an unbreakable commitment,” Di Maio said in a statement.

‘Spotlight now on UK, other European arms sellers’

Andrew Smith from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade told the Middle East Eye online news portal that the Italian decision sets a “vitally important precedent” for other European countries that keep selling weapons to the Saudi regime, despite its atrocities in Yemen.

“The Italian government should not have been arming Saudi forces in the first place. The arms sales they have supported have fueled a brutal war and helped to create a humanitarian catastrophe,” Smith said.