Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The war in Yemen should have been discussed at the ASEM summit. Like everybody, I am disgusted and shocked at the images of the humanitarian crisis and the suffering in Yemen, where thousands of people have died and 14 million people are going without food. They are on the brink of famine. The UN World Food Programme has warned that Yemen is facing a full-blown famine in approximately six months unless circumstances change rapidly. What are we doing about all this? What are we doing to assist the humanitarian response to the crisis? Aid organisations cite the blockade over the past three years by the Saudi-led coalition at the city port of Hodeidah, which handles 90% of Yemen's imports, as the reason for the food shortages. Clearly, responsibility for the humanitarian crisis must fall at the feet of the Saudi regime. We are aware that it has used its military might to bomb civilian areas, infrastructures, homes and school buses. Data collected by Al Jazeeraand the Yemen Data Project show that 18,000 air raids have been carried out in the Yemen area since 2015 by the Saudis and the UAE-led military coalition. Almost one third of those bombings struck non-military sites, yet Britain and the US have sold weapons to Saudi Arabia worth more than $12 billion since it entered this war.

There is an urgent need for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia because of the war crimes taking place there. What is the Taoiseach's position on an arms embargo? Does he support that and will he press his EU colleagues and counterparts to support such a call?

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