UK accused of 'fuelling' Yemen war as Saudi jets receive British support

UK accused of 'fuelling' Yemen war as Saudi jets receive British support Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Tue, 09/29/2026 - 11:53 Academics and civil society groups warn British military assistance to Riyadh risks complicity in further violations as fighting escalates Wreckage of what Yemen's Houthi rebels said was a downed Saudi drone in Al-Jawf governorate, Yemen, 26 July 2026 (Ansarullah Media Center/AFP) Off The UK government faces calls to halt military support for Saudi Arabia as fighting escalates in Yemen, with academics and civil society organisations warning that British refuelling for Saudi fighter jets could make it complicit in further violations of international law.

In an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, the signatories said they were “deeply concerned” about the decision to refuel Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft as hostilities escalate in and around Yemen.

“There is a real risk that further UK military support for Saudi Arabia will not achieve the desired outcome and could make the UK complicit in further war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law,” they wrote.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade, Action on Armed Violence, Shadow World Investigations UK and the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation signed the letter alongside academics and specialists in international relations, human rights and international law.

The signatories highlighted longstanding British support for Saudi military action in Yemen, which began in 2015 and initially involved a coalition of Arab states.

The Yemen Data Project recorded 25,054 Saudi-led coalition air raids between 2015 and 2022, according to figures cited in the letter.

The organisations said extensive evidence showed that the air campaign attacked civilians and civilian infrastructure. The war also combined an air and sea blockade with economic collapse and ground fighting.

The UN Development Programme estimated that the conflict killed 377,000 people directly and indirectly by the end of 2021, the letter said.

The signatories also cited allegations that the Saudi-led coalition used starvation as a weapon during the conflict.

'Risking complicity' The groups argue that the Saudi-led intervention failed to defeat or dislodge the Houthis, who continued to control most of Yemen's population.

They also criticised Britain's role in US air strikes against the Houthis in spring 2025. The UK reportedly supported those operations by providing refuelling.

The signatories cited a Pentagon assessment that said the strikes between March and May 2025 “more likely than not” caused 281 civilian casualties.

Saudi war against Houthis displaces 130,000 Yemenis as hunger crisis deepens Read More » The latest escalation has unfolded against a wider regional crisis.

The letter cites reports that fighting has displaced around 130,000 people in recent weeks. It also says the violence has already caused 110 casualties, including 28 deaths.

The signatories also raised concerns about Houthi attacks and attempted attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

They attributed the latest escalation to several factors, including developments inside Yemen, the US-Israeli war on Iran and the war in Gaza. But the groups argue that more air strikes will not resolve the conflict.

“Past experience has shown that air strikes will not contribute to defeating the Houthis or alleviating pressure on Saudi Arabia or on global shipping routes,” they wrote.

“Instead, the UK is only further fuelling the war and is risking complicity in further crimes.

” 'De-escalatory diplomacy' The organisations called on the British government to stay out of Saudi military operations and pursue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict.

'Past experience has shown that air strikes will not contribute to defeating the Houthis or alleviating pressure on Saudi Arabia or on global shipping routes' - Open letter signatories “In light of Saudi Arabia’s extensive record of violations in Yemen, we urge your government not to involve itself in Saudi operations and focus on de-escalatory diplomacy,” they wrote.

The appeal renews scrutiny of Britain's relationship with Saudi Arabia and its military support for Riyadh during the Yemen war.

The signatories argue that Britain should use diplomacy rather than further military support to address the conflict and its regional consequences.

They say de-escalation offers a route towards peace in Yemen and could help reduce the wider economic consequences of the region's interconnected wars.

Academics and specialists from the universities of Oxford, Bristol, Westminster, Sussex, King's College London, Warwick, Royal Holloway and Northumbria also signed the letter.

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