Italy 2016, the war industry is growing. According to the Armed Forces Arms Report about armament in 2017, containing operations authorized and carried out by 31 December of the previous year, exports increased by 85.7% over 2015, reaching 14, 6 billion euros. This Report is made by the Government pursuant to Law 185 of 1990, concerning rules on export control, import and transit of weapons materials.
In particular, this law prohibits the transfer, transit and export to armed conflict countries, contrary to the principles of the United Nations, to countries whose policy is contrary to Article 11 of the Italian Constitution, to countries In which the embargo on war supplies has been declared and those responsible for serious human rights violations. Provisions that Italy has not always fully respected.
Analyzing the data, in fact, it is found that almost 37% of the armaments have been exported to EU countries, while the remaining 63% went to non-EU states. The report itself pointed out that this leap forward is also due to Leonardo’s 28th Eurofighter Typhoon, formerly Finmeccanica. These warplanes, worth over 7 billion euros, will be sold to Kuwait, which has become the first outlet market, followed by UK, Germany, France and Spain. Sixth place is the first non-European market, Saudi Arabia, followed by the United States of America and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia acquires its own armaments from Rmw Italia Spa, a subsidiary of the German Rheinmetall, which manufactures its products in Sardinia. These bombs are used in the conflict in Yemen where a civil war is being fought since 2015, which is creating a serious humanitarian crisis.
The TV program Le Iene has produced a reportage showing the atrocities of the bombings, where children are most affected: schools, homes and hospitals are cut down uncontrollably. The journalist conducting the service analyzed how Italy is violating its own laws, hoping that the Brescia and Cagliari Public Prosecutors, currently investigating the supply of arms to Saudi departing from Sardinian ports, give light to the question.
Among the major buyers, along with the aforementioned Kuwait and Qatar, are countries whose governments are known for their practices contrary to human rights. It is, for example, Turkey, where freedoms are increasingly subject to restrictions, or countries where the death penalty is still practically in use, such as Pakistan and Malaysia.
Over the last two years, it has been steadily increasing its exports to sub-Saharan Africa, which has exceeded 150 million euros. Zambia and Kenya played a key role in increasing the Italian business volume so that the Bel Country is now in the world’s top ten largest arms producers, a sector that seems to have never known a crisis. The ranking was drawn up by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an international institution dealing with scientific research on cooperation and wars in order to alleviate tensions and prevent conflicts.
At this point, we should not complain “that the Mediterranean and the Middle East are a powdery of conflicts when we are also responsible for many of the weapons supplies, real gasoline that should feed the fire of wars,” says Francesco Vignarca, Disarmament Network, committed to the forefront of Italy’s assumption of its responsibilities in the supply of weapons to war-torn regimes.
