Dozens of Yemenis held a protest on Monday 21 September outside the headquarters of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, western Netherlands, demanding that the Houthis be designated a terrorist organisation amid escalating fighting between them and Yemen’s internationally recognised government since July. Participants called for support for the Yemeni government to restore the state, as well as for the protection of international shipping and interests.
Houthi advance along the coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The protest coincided with recent developments on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. More than a week ago, the Houthis advanced along the Red Sea coast and seized the key coastal city of Mokha, as well as islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
The Yemeni forces, meanwhile, said they would redeploy and stressed that strikes and clashes against the Houthis would continue on various fronts. The Yemeni government also warned that the Houthis’ approach towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait posed a threat to international shipping.
The Houthis announced on Saturday that 73 of their members had been killed, including 25 military personnel holding ranks, in the latest in a series of funeral announcements published by media outlets affiliated with them. The figure brought the number of members whose funerals the Houthis have announced since mid-July to 413, amid continuing clashes and tensions linked to control of coastal positions and nearby maritime routes.
