Government suspends arms exports to UAE over Yemen war

pulse

January 3, 2018 12:35 PM

Norway on Wednesday announced it has suspended arms and ammunition exports to the United Arab Emirates because of the nations involvement in the Yemen war.

"The development of the armed conflict in Yemen in the autumn of 2017 has been serious and there are severe concerns for the humanitarian situation," the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The UAE is part of a Saudi Arabia-led coalition that has been fighting in Yemen since March 2015.

The conflict has killed more than 8,750 people, including many civilians, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The suspension of arms exports, adopted on December 19, is a precautionary move and does not indicate that Norwegian weapons have been used in Yemen, Oslo said.

Norwegian arms sales in the UAE had almost doubled in 2016 compared to the previous year, reaching 79 million kroner (around 8 million euros, $9,7 million at current rates).

Norway says it does not sell arms to Saudi Arabia.

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