France complicit in Saudi war crimes in Yemen

While Paris is pointedly secretive about its role in the campaign waged by Riyadh in Yemen, the scale of its involvement might make France complicit in the Saudi war crimes.

Recent revelations made by the French investigative news organization Disclose have lifted the curtain on the true scale of French assistance to Saudi Arabia in its brutal war against the Yemeni government and Houthi freedom fighters, widely seen as one of the worst humanitarian crises unfolding in today’s world.

Paris argues that the weapons it actively sells to the Saudis are used for defensive purposes only and are intended to help Riyadh fight terrorists. However, that might not exactly be the case.

While pointing out France’s secrecy about the nature of its arms contracts with Riyadh, the investigative journalist Geoffrey Rivolsi, the co-founder of Disclose, warned that a full disclosure of the French role in the Saudi-led coalition’s war efforts might put Paris in a bind.

The contracts that France signed with Saudi Arabia and the UAE usually include commitments on the part of France to keep the supplied weapon systems operational, Rivolsi explained.

That means that, after the weapons sales, France continues to provide maintenance for arms systems used in Yemen.

Documents obtained by the investigative group show that France is clearly aware of potential risks of its weapons being used against civilians in Yemen.

The UN earlier blamed both the Saudis and the Houthis for the human suffering in Yemen, particularly saying that some of the Saudi-led coalition’s air-strikes there might amount to war crimes.

These facts partially explain why Paris has been increasingly secretive about its dealings with Riyadh recently.

So why does France continue to get itself involved in the arms trade with Riyadh, even though the stakes are high, at least in terms of its international reputation? According to Rivolsi, the answer is money.

However, it cannot simply continue like this, Rivolsi believes. France has some international obligations it has to fulfill.

Now, French MP’s are likely to demand a special parliamentary commission be created to look into the matter.

RT. com / ABC Flash Point WW III News 2019.