Yemen: Closed Consultations
Tomorrow morning at 10am (13 November), Security Council members will hold their monthly meeting on Yemen in closed consultations. The anticipated briefers are UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya.
The monthly meeting on Yemen is usually held as an open briefing followed by closed consultations; however, the decision to convene tomorrow’s discussion only in closed session was apparently made to enable Council members to receive sensitive information regarding the continued arbitrary detentions by the Houthis—a Yemeni rebel group which has de facto control of the northwest of the country—of UN personnel and raids by the group on UN premises in Houthi-controlled territory.
On 16 October, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi accused UN staff and humanitarian agencies of spying for Israel and the US. Following these allegations, which the UN has denied, the Houthis arbitrarily detained several UN staff and seized UN assets. As at 12 November, 59 UN personnel remain detained by the Houthis.
Tomorrow, Grundberg is likely to brief on his extensive diplomatic efforts to bring about the immediate release of UN personnel arbitrarily detained by the Houthis. Between 27 October and 3 November, the Special Envoy visited Oman and Bahrain. In Muscat, he met with senior Omani officials; the Houthis’ chief negotiator, Mohamed Abdel Salam; and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi. In Bahrain, on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue, he held talks with Yemeni government officials, including Foreign Minister Shaya Zindani and Chief of the General Staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Sagheer Aziz, as well as regional and international partners. Grundberg also visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 10 November and Saudi Arabia on 12 November, meeting with high-level diplomats from both countries. In Riyadh, he also met with diplomats representing the five permanent members of the Security Council and again met with Zindani, as well as with Presidential Leadership Council member Abdullah Al-Alimi. In all meetings with regional stakeholders, the Special Envoy raised the arbitrary detentions, emphasising that they undermine UN efforts to deliver aid to Houthi-controlled territory and to carry out mediation.
Council members are expected to strongly condemn the ongoing Houthi detentions and to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained by the group, including personnel from the UN, national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations, and diplomatic missions. Msuya and other speakers are likely to emphasise that such actions worsen the already severe humanitarian situation in Yemen and demand that the Houthis respect international humanitarian law, ensure a safe and secure operating environment in areas under their control, and allow for unhindered humanitarian access to the civilian population.
Msuya may also provide updates to Council members on what steps the UN is taking to mitigate the increased risks its staff and operations are facing in Yemen, while also striving to meet the rising needs of the population at a time when the country is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis, including alarming levels of food insecurity. According to a 12 November “Hunger Hotspots” joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), Yemen faces imminent risk of catastrophic hunger conditions and is one of six countries of highest concern in this regard.
The Special Envoy is expected to brief members on his efforts to advance a political settlement to the Yemen conflict. In addition to the issue of UN detainees, his recent meetings with regional interlocutors focused on ways to achieve a sustainable de-escalation of the conflict, and on fostering conditions and support for an inclusive political process under UN auspices. Grundberg may stress the importance of restraint among the parties, and note the improved regional dynamics for resuming the political process following the 8 October ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Several Council members are likely to convey messages supporting the Special Envoy’s efforts in this regard, while underlining that an inclusive Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process, under the auspices of the UN, and which respects the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity, is the only sustainable way to achieve peace.
Grundberg may emphasise that a political solution also needs to involve regional security guarantees, including the safety and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Since the Gaza ceasefire agreement, there have been no further tit-for-tat attacks between the Houthis and Israel or attacks by Houthis on international shipping in and around the Red Sea, after almost two years of such attacks following the start of the Gaza war. The Houthis, however, have reportedly published an undated letter to Hamas in which they threatened to continue further attacks should the ceasefire collapse. In a 2 November speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the group is a “very great threat” that his administration will do “everything necessary to eliminate”. Council members may call for a reduction in aggressive rhetoric coupled with confidence building measures, highlighting that such an approach is fundamental to continued de-escalation and to resuming discussions on the roadmap for peace in Yemen.
The Council is also considering a draft resolution extending the Yemen financial and travel ban sanctions measures, which expire on 15 November, and the mandate of the Yemen Panel of Experts (PoE), which expires on 15 December. At the time of writing, the draft resolution, which was produced by the UK (the penholder on Yemen), is under silence until 9am tomorrow morning.
