UN Security Council condemns in the strongest terms the Houthis' ongoing attacks on Saudi Arabia
New York, 25 Sep (KUNA) -- Members of the UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms on Friday the ongoing attacks by the Houthis against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks targeting civilians and energy infrastructure that have resulted in injuries to civilians, including women and children.
This was stated in a press statement read outside the Security Council chamber by France’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jerome Bonnafont, with France holding the Council’s presidency for the current month.
Council members renewed their condemnation of attacks and threats targeting commercial navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the safety of commercial vessels and their crews, and respecting the rights and freedoms of navigation in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The members called on the Houthi group to immediately cease military escalation and end attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects, reaffirming the importance of respecting international humanitarian law.
They stressed the importance of the full implementation of Resolution 2216 and subsequent resolutions, calling for practical cooperation, including with the Yemeni government, to prevent the Houthis from obtaining weapons, related equipment, technical assistance, training, and financing.
They reaffirmed the necessity for all member states to comply with their commitments regarding the arms embargo on the targeted items, while strongly condemning the continued Houthi military escalation within Yemen.
Council members expressed deep concern over reports indicating that at least 125,000 civilians have been displaced across Yemen since the beginning of the current month, along with civilian casualties and damage to civilian objects and infrastructure resulting from Houthi attacks. They warned that continued escalation would exacerbate the already deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen and could lead to further displacement of civilians, reaffirming the need to ensure full, safe, rapid, and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for all those in need, and to enhance the safety of humanitarian workers and UN staff.
The Security Council members renewed their call for the immediate, unconditional, and safe release of detainees, including 73 UN staff members, as well as staff from national and international non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions.
They emphasized that the Houthis’ military escalation within Yemen, their continued attacks on Saudi Arabia, their threats to international navigation in the Red Sea, and their advances in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait portend an intensification of the conflict, a threat to maritime security and international trade, and the undermining of regional and international efforts aimed at achieving peace in Yemen.
Council members expressed their solidarity with Saudi Arabia in the face of attacks targeting civilians and civilian objects on its territory, affirming its inherent right to self-defense in accordance with international law.
The statement renewed the members’ support for the Yemeni government and their firm commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen, affirming that sustainable peace in the country cannot be achieved through violence, coercion, or the use of force.
(End)
