The UN Security Council held an emergency session on Tuesday on developments in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, amid calls to protect international navigation, reduce tensions and support the political process in Yemen, after fighting spread to several fronts inside the country. UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Khaled Khiari said the situation in Bab al-Mandab and Yemen’s western coast was concerning.
Displacement and civilian casualties in Yemen
The session came days after the Houthis seized Yemen’s western coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait following battles with Yemeni government forces that left hundreds dead and wounded. Yemen’s UN envoy, Abdullah al-Saadi, said the Houthi escalation had gone beyond the internal crisis, considering that the threat to Bab al-Mandab affected international trade, energy routes and supply chains.
Calls to condemn attacks and tighten the arms embargo
The Security Council was urged to condemn attacks on civilians and ships and strengthen enforcement of resolutions aimed at preventing arms from reaching the Houthis. Al-Saadi affirmed Yemen’s support for Saudi Arabia and its right to defend its territory and citizens.
The Bahraini envoy, for his part, said his country had joined Britain, the United States, Greece, Denmark and Latvia in requesting the session to discuss what those countries described as Houthi threats to navigation security in Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea. The Bahraini envoy announced his country’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government, accusing the Houthis of threatening regional and international security and stability.
Calls to protect international maritime routes
Saudi Arabia’s UN envoy, Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, said protecting international maritime routes, including the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, was a shared responsibility that did not fall solely on the countries of the region. Al-Wasil accused the Houthis of pursuing a policy of “militarizing straits,” while affirming his country’s commitment to a political solution in Yemen and support for the efforts of UN envoy Hans Grundberg.
He added that Saudi Arabia reserved the right to take the necessary measures to protect its national security, territory and citizens in accordance with the UN Charter and international law. Russian envoy Vasily Nebenzia urged the Houthis to avoid any actions threatening commercial ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab, while stressing that maritime security was linked to the Yemeni conflict and the need for a political settlement.
Nebenzia had objected at the start of the session to the order of speakers and to Yemen being given the floor before council members. China’s envoy expressed his country’s concern over the decline in commercial shipping and the deteriorating situation in Bab al-Mandab, calling for the protection of civilians and vital facilities and for dialogue to address the roots of the crisis.
Liberia’s envoy also warned of the impact of disruption to navigation on food and fuel prices and shipping costs, stressing that freedom of navigation was a legal principle.
