New Walloon Minister-President Adrien Dolimont (MR) has approved the sale of machine gun parts to the United Arab Emirates, reported Le Soir on Monday. This decision marks a departure from the policy of his predecessor.
Walloon arms manufacturer FN Herstal submitted a new export request in the spring for spare parts used in machine guns mounted on French Leclerc tanks.
The United Arab Emirates deployed several of these tanks in Yemen, notably in 2015 and 2018. The sale of the parts is valued at just under €325,000.
Last spring, FN Herstal submitted a new export request, this time for spare parts for machine guns to be mounted on French Leclerc tanks destined for the UAE defence forces.
The UAE has deployed several of these tanks on the Yemeni battlefield, notably in 2015 and 2018. It is part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting against the Houthi rebel group, and has faced many allegations by organisations such as the UN and Human Rights Watch for suspected war crimes and unlawful killing of civilians.
