UN Security Council renews Yemen sanctions for another year

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Security Council overwhelmingly agreed Friday to renew its Yemeni sanctions mandate for another year.

The resolution, which garnered 13 votes in favor and two abstentions by Russia and China, allows targeted financial and travel sanctions against designated Yemeni individuals until Nov. 14, 2026.

The mandate of the Yemen Panel of Experts, responsible for monitoring and reporting on sanctions, was also extended until Dec. 15, 2026, through the UK-submitted resolution.

UK's Charge d'Affaires James Kariuki welcomed the renewal of the sanctions mandate after the vote and said: "The resolution will support the council's ability to monitor and therefore deter violations of the arms embargo. So doing it will help restrain the Houthis' capacity to destabilize Yemen and threaten regional maritime security, while avoiding negatively impacting the humanitarian situation for the people of Yemen."

Also speaking after the vote, China's deputy UN envoy Geng Shuang highlighted the improving situation in the region and said: "We support the normal renewal of the regime. However, a relevant country (referring to the UK), 10 days before the expiry, suddenly put forth the proposal of maritime interdictions, which will mandate member states to inspect vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters on the basis of so-called reasonable grounds."

Calling the maritime interdictions "arbitrary," he argued that they "will severely affect freedom of navigation and maritime transport and even impact the normal international trade order and infringe upon the rights of countries to engage in international trade in accordance with international law."

Russia's deputy UN envoy Anna Evstigneeva stressed the "unbalanced and one-sided" wording of the resolution text and called it a "highly politicized approach" by Western member states, without naming the countries.

Saying that "it is unacceptable" to use the sanctions regime for "narrow" political purposes, she emphasized "the importance of active participation in this process of Yemen's regional partners, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Oman."

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.