While this week, in Geneva, the 5th Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is held, Amnesty International calls for the respect of this essential treaty, in particular by Belgium, which, via the Walloon Region, has continued selling arms to countries guilty of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, such as Saudi Arabia.

“While negotiations are underway for the formation of a Walloon government, we insist on the importance of respecting the commitments made by Belgium and Wallonia,” explains Philippe Hensmans, director of the Belgian-speaking section of Belgium.

“The Walloon weapons, high quality, deserve better than a marketing focused primarily on war criminals and who, moreover, could someday turn against us,” he said Tuesday in a statement.

Saudi Arabia was in 2017 the main client of the Walloon Region in the purchase of arms. From 2014 to 2018, Saudi Arabia became the largest arms importer in the world.

From 2014 to 2018, more than 4,000 armored vehicles were delivered to Saudi Arabia by Austria, Canada, France, Georgia, South Africa and Turkey, and 338 tanks were delivered by the United States. The Belgian company CMI equips armored vehicles sold by Canada with tank gun turrets, under a € 3.2 billion contract signed in 2014.

Some 27 pc of exports from the Walloon Region were destined for the Near and Middle East in 2017.

Saudi Arabia / Yemen

1. From 2014 to 2018, Saudi Arabia became the largest arms importer in the world. The United States and the United Kingdom are by far its main suppliers.

2. Saudi Arabia’s arms imports increased 225% from 2013 to 2017.

The human toll

Over 2,436,351 people have died in armed conflict since 1989 — including more than 77,320 in 2018 — according to the Conflict Data Collection Program at Uppsala University.

In 2017, the number of violent deaths has risen sharply in the world: about 589,000 people have lost their lives violently.

Source: https://www.lesoir.be/244258/article/2019-08-27/amnesty-appelle-la-region-wallonne-respecter-le-traite-sur-le-commerce-des-armes

https://www.amnesty.fr/presse/les-chiffres-marquants-en-2019-lampleur-du-commerc