The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution which seeks to stop the violent take-over of Yemen by the Houthis and bring all parties back to the negotiating table.
In recent months, the Houthis seized large swaths of territory in Yemen and forced the elected president, Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi, to flee the country.
Security Council Resolution 2216 was adopted on April 14 by a vote of 14-0, with Russia abstaining. It imposes a global asset freeze and travel ban on two key Houthi leaders, as well as a targeted arms embargo on former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, his son, and their supporters. This is in addition to UN sanctions already imposed by the Security Council on former president Saleh and two Houthi commanders last November.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the United States strongly supports the Security Council Resolution:
“Which imposes consequences on the Houthi and former President Saleh, demands that the Houthi cease military operations and calls on all sides to once again return to the negotiating table. The imposition of a global asset freeze and travel ban on Ahmed Ali Saleh and Abdelmalik al-Houthi, as well as a targeted arms embargo show that this Council will take action against those who continue to undermine efforts toward reconciliation.”
Ambassador Power noted that the Security Council resolution recognizes the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Yemen and urges all sides to comply with their obligations under international law and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in need.
The actions the Houthis have taken threaten the security and the welfare of the Yemeni people and the region, said Ambassador Power. “The UN,” she said, “must continue its efforts to hold talks to find a consensus solution to this crisis, and all parties must commit to taking part in these talks. There is no alternative.”
