On Tuesday, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) lost its case in a London court to ban British arms sales to Saudi Arabia, which several NGOs accused of violating international law during its invasion of Yemen, AFP reported.

The two judges tasked with the case found that there was an “ongoing rationality” in assessing the risks associated with the use of weapons sold by the UK.

Saudi Arabia has been involved militarily in Yemen since 2015, leading a regional coalition in support of pro-government forces fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

According to the UN, the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. After the ceasefire brokered by the UN in April 2022, the country is calm.

According to the NGO CAAT, the British government “should not arm Saudi Arabia. These arms sales are illegal and must be stopped,” his spokeswoman Emily Apple told AFP at the opening of the trial in January.

In 2019, London was forced to stop selling arms to the Saudi regime following a lawsuit launched by CAAT.

The court found that the government had not previously assessed whether the Riyadh-led coalition had violated international humanitarian law. Therefore, he appealed to the government to review the legality of its sale.

A year later, in the summer of 2020, the government resumed sales, claiming that after an inspection there was no apparent risk that the export of military equipment to Saudi Arabia could be used to commit a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

It was this resumption of sales that CAAT challenged in new proceedings.

James Eady, a Commerce Department lawyer responsible for issuing arms export licenses, argued in court that since 2019 “there has been a thorough and detailed analysis” of events on the ground and “an honest attempt to resolve the issue.” determined by the courts.

Britain has licensed at least £7.9 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia since the start of its campaign in Yemen in 2015, according to a CAAT analysis based on government-provided figures.

In a statement, the NGO said it was “disappointed” by the decision, “especially for the Yemeni people whose lives have been destroyed by British bombs.”