Trump lied to us about Yemen war, says Sanders

Would be Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has slammed US President Donald Trump over his support for Saudi air strikes in Yemen. “Trump said that he wanted to get America out of wars,” said Sanders. “He lied.”

Trump said he wanted to get America out of wars. He lied.

When we passed a bipartisan bill to end illegal support for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, he vetoed it.

Trump ignored the Constitution to keep helping this brutal dictatorship as it bombs civilians. https://t.co/RPMINmhO3F

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 18, 2020

Last year, Trump vetoed the US Congress bipartisan resolution to withdraw support from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, cementing American involvement in a deadly humanitarian crisis overseas.

Sanders also criticised Trump for this veto. “When we passed a bipartisan bill to end illegal support for Saudi air strikes in Yemen, he vetoed it.” On Tuesday, the Senator also lambasted Saudi Arabia’s leadership, and reaffirmed his promise to pursue a more even-handed foreign policy in the Middle East.

“For years, we have loved Saudi Arabia, our wonderful ally,” he pointed out. “The only problem is that the people who run that country are murderous thugs.”

For four years, the US has been helping the Saudi government in Yemen against Iranian-backed rebels by giving arms, ammunition, intelligence and more. The war, which has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, has killed more than 50,000 people, according to Worldwide Threat Assessment, and has left millions more in need of essential aid.

Two years ago, Sanders signed on to a movement in Congress to end US involvement in Yemen. The movement took off when it became clear that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman had ordered the murder of Saudi-born Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Senate Votes to End Aid for Yemen Fight Over Khashoggi Killing and Saudis’ War Aims via @NYTimes https://t.co/75t9T7uhXQ

— Carl Zimmer (@carlzimmer) December 14, 2018

Last weekend in Yemen, 30 people were killed in US-backed Saudi air strikes, including women and children.

Nearly 80 per cent of the population in Yemen needs some form of humanitarian assistance and protection. According to the UN, ten million are a step away from famine and 7 million are malnourished.

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