To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) whether the use of (i) rockets and mortars and (ii) other indirect-fire weapon systems with wide-area impact by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen (A) at Al-Raqw market in Munabbih between 20 November and 24 December 2019 and (B) on other occasions constitute a pattern indicating the use of indiscriminate attacks prohibited by Article 51(4) of the 1977 Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions and (b) the implications for her policies on arms export controls of the conclusion of that initial assessment.
Answered on
27 October 2020
We take very seriously all allegations of breaches of the Geneva Conventions. The UK urges the parties to the conflict to investigate these allegations and take action to promote and protect international humanitarian law. The Government takes its export responsibilities seriously and assesses all export licences in accordance with strict licensing criteria. We will not issue any export licences where to do so would be inconsistent with these criteria. Whenever the UK receives reports of alleged violations of international humanitarian law in connection with countries to whom arms and military equipment are licensed for export, we routinely seek information from all credible sources, including from Non Governmental Organisations and international organisations.