Meeting of the UN Security Council. The Security Council again called on the Houthis to immediately stop attacks in the Red Sea Peace and Security
On Thursday, the Security Council adopted a resolution asking the Secretary-General to provide the Security Council with monthly reports on Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea for another six months. Council members also reiterated their demand that the Houthis immediately stop their attacks and release the Galaxy Leader and its crew. 12 countries voted for the resolution. Three countries – Russia, China and Algeria – abstained.
In January 2024, the Security Council adopted its first resolution condemning Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and requested the Secretary-General to submit monthly written reports to the Security Council on the situation until 1 July 2024 to inform the Council’s future consultations.
The request was extended until 15 January 2025 due to ongoing Houthi attacks. The Security Council urged “caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the wider region” and called on all parties to step up diplomatic efforts in this regard.
Earlier this month, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council that Ansar Allah had stepped up attacks on commercial and military vessels. For its part, the US-led coalition continued airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Hodeida, Sanaa and Taiz.
In announcing their decision to extend the request for monthly reports from the UN chief, the Council delegates stressed “the need to address the root causes, one of which is the conflicts that are fueling regional tensions and destabilizing maritime security.”
The Security Council members also recalled that “all Member States must comply with their obligations under the targeted arms embargo” imposed by the Council in 2015: Resolution 2216 prohibits all countries from supplying weapons to the Houthis.