4
ISSUE 108 / 2018
NEWS
LONDON NEWS
UK TO SELL 48 FIGHTER
JETS TO SAUDI ARABIA
The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had
been in London only a couple of days, when he agreed
to purchase the 48 Typhoon fighter jets, the deal was
announced on the final day of his visit.
It is the latest development in a
controversial relationship, one which
is likely to intensify post-Brexit. The
announcement followed the revelation
that the government has signed a £100m
aid agreement with the Gulf state to
deliver essential infrastructure to "drought
and conflict-stricken" countries.
Many were quick to point out the irony of
Saudi Arabia signing this aid agreement,
considering they're destroying essential
infrastructures, such as schools and
hospitals in the conflict-stricken country
of Yemen. Saudi Arabia is fighting on the
side of the government against the Houthi
rebels that sparked the civil war when they
took control of the capital city, Sana'a, in
2014.
There is also widespread concern that
the Typhoon fighter jets Saudi Arabia has
agreed to buy from the UK will be used on
the desperate Yemeni civilians mired in the
civil war.
Saudi Arabia waged into the war in 2015
and has been accused of systematically
starving the civilian population by cutting
off aid supplies. 8.4 million people are
threatened by famine in the war-torn state.
The UK has sold a reported £4.6bn
worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since their
involvement in the Yemen war, with the
latest deal indicating that, that figure will
continue to rise.
