Yemen crisis partly our fault – MP
THE UK is partly to blame for an horrific conflict in Yemen, according to a Birmingham MP.
Andrew Mitchell, a Conservative MP and former Cabinet Minister, condemned the Government’s ongoing support for Saudi Arabia’s actions in the Yemen conflict, which has continued for more than three years and killed nearly 10,000 people. He highlighted the UK’s role in a battle currently raging at the port of Hodeidah, saying: “The British government finds itself not on the side of innocent families who fear the fire that falls from above, but on the side of the perpetrator”.
Mr Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, spoke out as a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia continued its assault on Hodeidah. Aid groups say the battle could lead to humanitarian disaster, as about 70% of Yemen’s food enters the country through the port.
A coalition of Arab states, supported by the US, UK and France, is backing the Yemen government in a civil war against Houthi Shia Muslim rebels, who had seized control of parts of the country including Hodeidah. Saudi Arabia claims Iran is backing the rebels, but Iran denies this. Mr Mitchell said that the UK had urged Saudi Arabia not to attack the port, but our warnings had been ignored.
However, he added: “The problem for Britain is that we are complicit in this attack. It is part of the coalition that supports Saudi Arabia in its war in Yemen. Britain rightly condemns the Houthis for launching sporadic missile attacks on Riyadh, but stays silent on the nightly air attacks by the Saudi air force that kill innocent civilians.”