Yemen: Monthly Briefing and Consultations
On Monday morning (15 September), the Security Council will hold its monthly open briefing on Yemen. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher are expected to brief. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
The situation in Yemen remains precarious as regional escalations continue to degrade prospects for peace and drive up the risk of a resurgence of conflict in the country. The Houthis—a Yemeni rebel group also known as Ansar Allah, which has de facto control of the northwest of the country, including the capital Sana’a—have maintained their attacks against Israel and in the Red Sea, as part of a campaign started in October 2023 which they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The Houthis continue to launch multiple ballistic missiles and drone attacks against Israel, provoking retaliatory strikes from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Since August, the group has reportedly started to use cluster bomb warheads, and on 7 and 8 September, it launched multiple drones at Israel, one of which struck the Ramon International Airport in the south of the country, causing one injury.
The increased frequency of attacks has occurred within the context of an escalation of strikes by Israel on the Houthis to weaken their capabilities. On 24 August, the IDF launched heavy retaliatory airstrikes in Sana’a, targeting what it said was a military compound housing a presidential palace, a fuel depot, and two power stations. On 10 September, the IDF struck what it characterised as military targets and the Houthi’s “propaganda” department headquarters in the capital and in the al-Jawf governorate. The Houthis said that the targets were civilian and that the strikes killed 35 people and wounded a further 131. Additionally, a 28 August IDF airstrike in Sana’a killed the Houthi’s prime minister, Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi, and several other cabinet ministers during an official gathering. Even though the Houthi prime minister holds a figurative, non-decision-making role (the Houthis’ decision-maker and leader, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, was reportedly not at the gathering), the strike marks a shift from Israel’s apparent strategy of targeting Houthi infrastructure and assets towards targeting the group’s political leadership.
At Monday’s meeting, speakers are likely to express concern over the recent developments and call on the parties to urgently de-escalate and avoid dragging Yemen into further crisis. Several Council members are likely to condemn the Houthi attacks on Israel, with some underscoring Israel’s right to defend itself. A number of members are also expected to highlight the impact that Israeli strikes have had on civilians, while calling for respect for international law and Yemen’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.
Another recent serious escalation, which will be discussed at the meeting, is the 31 August detention of UN staff by the Houthis. According to the UN, at least 19 UN personnel were abducted and detained following Houthi raids on UN premises in Sana’a, including the World Food Programme (WFP) premises. On 1 September, Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the arbitrary detentions and seizure of UN property, and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all UN, international and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society, and diplomatic mission personnel who have been held by the Houthis, some since 2021. At Monday’s meeting, speakers are expected to echo these messages while highlighting that the violation of UN personnel’s safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their duties severely undermines efforts to provide aid and advance peace in Yemen.
Today (12 September), Council members issued a press statement on the matter, which was proposed by the UK, the penholder on Yemen. The statement condemned the detentions and demanded the release of all those detained, while expressing grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country. It called on the Houthis “to enable a safe and secure operating environment and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance in areas under their control”, while also reiterating the Council’s support to the UN “in maintaining measures to optimise staff safety and security in light of the current security context”.
In his briefing on Monday, Grundberg is expected to provide an overview of his efforts to secure the immediate release of all such detainees, including his 2 September trip to Muscat, Oman, where he met Omani officials and Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam. During these meetings, he reiterated the Secretary-General’s demands regarding the detainees and called for all parties to avoid a broader escalation. Council members may also be interested in hearing from Fletcher on how the detentions and the increasingly insecure environment are impacting the UN’s ability to operate in Houthi-controlled areas.
Fletcher is likely to further elaborate on the worsening protection and humanitarian crisis in the country, highlighting immense risks to civilians stemming from deepening food insecurity, a deteriorating economy, lack of basic services, and hostilities, among other drivers. He may also reiterate that funding cuts are directly impacting the ability of the UN and its partners to deliver life-saving assistance, further exacerbating the situation.
Speakers are also expected to discuss the Houthis’ continued threats to maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. On 1 September, the group claimed that it had targeted the Israeli-owned, Liberia-flagged tanker MV Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea close to Saudi Arabia’s port city of Yanbu. There was no reported impact or damage to the vessel.
Council members are likely to reiterate their condemnation of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and call on the group to cease such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine regional peace and security. In this regard, European Union (EU) Council members (Denmark, France, Greece, and Slovenia) may highlight the continued importance of EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, an EU defensive military operation mandated to safeguard maritime security in the Red Sea. Members are also likely to call on the Houthis to immediately release ten crew members they continue to hold following their attack and sinking of the MV Eternity C on 7 July.
Council members such as China, Pakistan, Russia and the “A3 Plus” grouping (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Guyana) may emphasise that the current escalations in Yemen and the Red Sea have a direct correlation to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and that the situation cannot be resolved absent a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. On the other hand, members such as France, the UK, and the US may point to Iran’s financial and military support to the Houthis as a direct enabler of continued regional instability.
Some speakers may raise concerns that, amid ongoing regional escalation, the security situation in Yemen is backsliding towards resurgent hostility. On 3 and 4 September, Yemeni media reported clashes along the country’s southern front lines, in the Dhale and Shabwah governorates, between the Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, resulting in casualties on both sides.
The wide array of security risks affecting Yemen, coupled with the worsening humanitarian crisis and severe economic hardship, has mired progress on an intra-Yemeni political process. During the meeting, Grundberg and Council members may underscore the need for the Yemeni parties to prioritise dialogue and re-engage diplomatic channels towards establishing a roadmap under UN auspices. This would entail a realisation of commitments and confidence-building measures agreed upon in December 2023, which included a nationwide ceasefire. Some speakers may urge a return to dialogue on economic issues that are crippling the country, highlighting recent beneficial economic reforms by the Yemeni government, which saw a marked improvement in the Yemeni rial, as steps that need to be further built upon.
Grundberg may also stress that for Yemen to shift towards a more stable trajectory, the country needs the support of regional and international actors, including on achieving regional security guarantees, which also address the crisis in the Red Sea. Several Council members are likely to reiterate their support for the Special Envoy’s efforts towards resuming an inclusive intra-Yemeni political process and achieving lasting peace in the country.
