UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia rose by two thirds in 2017

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YEMEN-SECURITY/AIRSTRIKERTX3DFFQ26 Aug. 2017Sanaa, YemenButhaina Muhammad Mansour, believed to be four or five, sits on a bed at a hospital after she survived a Saudi-led air strike that killed eight of her family members in Sanaa. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

UK military sales to Saudi Arabia increased by two thirds in 2017 from 2016 - an increase of more than £450m, Sky News can reveal.
The real figure could be much higher as the number of so-called "secret" open licences doubled across the 12 months, from 21 to 44.
The UK issued 126 licences relating to military goods in 2017, with a value of £1.129bn - according to Department of International Trade figures.
This is compared to 103 licences relating to military goods in 2016, with a value of £679m.
A Saudi-led coalition is using airstrikes against Yemeni rebels and their allies, who drove a Saudi-backed and internationally recognised government into exile, since 2015.
More than 10,000 people are thought to have died and 22 million people need assistance in what the UN says is the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The number of weapons and the amount of money the UK has accrued from military sales to the kingdom will be higher than the standard licences state.
Open licences, known as OIELs, have been described as "secretive" by campaign groups because they allow an uncapped number of items to be sent to another country for five years.

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