Saudi pressures Canada over calls to end Yemen war

Saudi pressures Canada over calls to end Yemen war
Tue Jan 2, 2018 08:24:19

Saudi is reported to have imposed a great deal of pressure on the Canadian Embassy in Riyadh over Canada’s campaign to end the war in Yemen, a source close to the embassy has revealed. The pressure, it is said, includes unspecified “threats”.

(Middleeastmonitor/cbc.ca) -- According to Al-Khaleej Online, the informed source said that Canada is currently leading an international campaign to force Saudi to stop its war on Yemen which has killed thousands of civilians and caused famine in the country. Nearly 20 million people are starving and one million people have succumbed in a massive cholera epidemic.

Canada is one of the main arms' suppliers to Saudi. In 2016 Saudi has been Canada's top non-U.S. destination for exporting military goods after having been narrowly bumped last year by the United Kingdom, according to a federal report on arms sales.

It was reveals that the Saudi government purchased over $142 million worth of Canadian arms in 2016. That accounted for nearly 20 per cent of all Canadian munitions exports reported in the annual filing according to Global Affairs Canada.

(Photo: LAVs and components are among the top military exports Canada sends to Saudi Arabia. Bill Graveland/Canadian Press)

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