Tue 01 March 2022:
The UN Security Council (UNSC) has imposed an arms embargo on all Houthi rebels, as the Yemeni group confronts heightened international pressure following a series of recent attacks on Gulf countries.
The resolution, introduced by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and passed with 11 votes in favor and four abstentions on Monday, expands an embargo that had previously targeted only certain Houthi commanders to the entire rebel group.
The action comes just days after US President Joe Biden’s administration imposed new sanctions on a network accused of channeling tens of millions of dollars to the Houthis – and amid an Emirati government push for countries to adopt a harsher stance against the insurgents.
The Emirati mission to the UN welcomed the result of the vote, saying the resolution would “curtail the military capabilities of the Houthis & push toward stopping their escalation in Yemen & the region”.
This #UNSC resolution will curtail the military capabilities of the Houthis & push toward stopping their escalation in Yemen & the region.
It will also prevent their hostile activities against civilian vessels & threats to shipping lines & int’l trade.
➡️https://t.co/SCOpt1xNPq pic.twitter.com/1ZejXeTebE
— UAE Mission to the UN (@UAEMissionToUN) February 28, 2022
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, criticised the UNSC decision for ignoring “crimes” by the coalition and said in a Twitter post that any arms embargo that does not apply to the alliance “had no value”.
Russia, which is close to Iran, on Monday voted in favour of the UNSC resolution, which states that the Houthi rebels in their entirety will now be subject to an arms embargo first declared in 2015 on some of their leaders.
Diplomats, speaking to the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity, said Russia’s position suggests a deal was cut between Moscow and Abu Dhabi for the latter to abstain in upcoming UN votes on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The UAE on Friday abstained from a vote on a UNSC draft resolution that would have deplored Russia’s attack on Ukraine, which to date has killed more than 350 civilians, according to the Ukrainian ministry of health.
Monday’s UNSC resolution described the Houthis as a “terrorist group”.
It said the council “strongly condemns the cross-border attacks by the Houthi terrorist group, including attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates striking civilians and civilian infrastructure, and demanding the immediate cessation of such attacks”.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
_____________________________________________________________________________
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
