French court orders France to disclose weapons exports to Yemen

Children walk in a camp for people recently displaced by fighting in Yemen’s northern province of al-Jawf between government forces and Houthis in Marib, Yemen March 8, 2020. REUTERS Ali Owidha says: “On 25 September 2011 at 10:30 AM we learn one of the most important facts about Ali Owidha.

Two non-governmental organisations announced their case on Wednesday in Paris administrative court. The courts ordered French Customs to disclose records over war equipments exports, especially to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Amnesty International France and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights ECCHR said in a statement that they filed the case after French customs declined to disclose documentation over potential sale of weapons in connection with the Yemen conflict.

The two NGOs raised concerns that French weapons should be used in the conflict.

This lack of transparency is a major hurdle for international control over French weapons trades they said in a statement.

NGOs said investigative media company Disclose was among the plaintiffs.

Contacted by Reuters, the French customs had no immediate reaction.

A Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing government forces fighting the Yemen-aligned Houthis. The current situation of about six years is considered a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

U.N. investigators said last year weapons provided by Western powers and Iran to warring sides in Yemen fuelling the conflict, marked by deadly Saudi-led coalition air strikes and Houthi shelling