Norway has suspended exports of weapons and ammunition to the United Arab Emirates over concerns they could be used in the war in Yemen, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
The UAE is part of a Saudi-led coalition formed in 2015 to fight the Iran-aligned Houthi group that controls most of northern Yemen and the capital Sanaa, in a war that has killed more than 10,000 people and displaced more than 3 million.
Norway Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide says she has ‘no information’ that any of Norway's military weapons have been used in Yemen but that there's ‘great concern’ over the humanitarian crisis and the rising risk related to the UAE's military involvement there.
She added that since 2010, Norway has allowed sale of weapons and ammunition to the UAE.
Existing export permits had been temporarily revoked and no new licences would be issued under the current circumstances, Norway said.
In 2016, Norwegian exports of weapons and ammunition to the UAE rose to 79 million Norwegian crowns ($9.7 million) from 41 million in 2015, Statistics Norway data showed.
