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French Rafale at Air Base 104 in Al-Dhafra, United Arab Emirates. STEPHANE OF SAKUTIN / AFP

In France, Defense has just published the figures for arms exports for 2018. Result: a 30% increase in sales to 9.1 billion euros last year, according to the figures of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Nearly half of the orders come from the Gulf and Middle East countries, while French arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates remain highly controversial in France, due to the involvement of these countries in the United States. war in Yemen.

In the introduction to the report on arms sales, the Minister of Armies Florence Parly wanted to show pedagogy. It recalls that 13% of French industrial jobs are in the armaments sector, and that 200,000 work there every day. It ensures that France's export policy in this area is vital for its strategic autonomy and for French diplomacy.

But NGOs are worried that more weapons will be sent to the Gulf countries, be used in armed conflicts or in the repression of populations.

First client of the French armament industry in 2018: Qatar. 2.5 billion orders, 28 NH 90 helicopters deliverable from 2022 and 12 additional Rafale combat aircraft. Qatari Rafale deliveries began in early 2019.

Then comes Belgium, a European client, a trend that should be highlighted while France is campaigning for the strengthening of a European defense industry. There, it is armored. A contract signed in late 2018, but nothing has yet been transferred to the Belgian army.

Third customer: another buyer from the Gulf, Saudi Arabia. Nearly 1 billion euros of order, more than half for patrollers. Contacted by RFI, the Ministry of the Armed Forces did not wish to detail the whole of the Saudi order registered last year.

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