US emergency arms sales to Saudi-UAE coalition blocked

The US Senate voted on Thursday to block the sale of billions of dollars of arms and ammunition to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The resolution prevents the Trump administration from using emergency powers to bypass Congress and sell more than $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have been accused of war crimes in Yemen.

Amnesty International has welcomed the resolution.

“We welcome this tremendous news. The Saudi-led coalition has committed horrific human rights violations in Yemen, some of which amount to war crimes, Amnesty International advocacy director for Middle East and North Africa Philippe Nassif said.