Security Council condemns actions of Houthi militants to derail Yemen’s transition

In a presidential statement, the 15-member body noted with concern that “the Houthis and others continue to stoke the conflict in the north in an attempt to obstruct the political transition.”

Yemen has recently emerged from a complex UN-backed transition, but recent months have been marked by violence and unrest in some parts of the country.

In mid-July, amid what it characterized as a “serious deterioration in the security situation” due to ongoing violence in the north-west, the Council had demanded that Al Houthi militants, all armed groups and parties involved in the violence disarm, withdraw and relinquish control of the city of Amran.

In on Friday’s statement, the Council called on the Houthis to withdraw their forces from Amran and return the city to Yemeni Government control; cease all armed hostilities against the Government in al Jawf; and remove the camps and dismantle the checkpoints they have erected in and around the capital, Sana’a.

“The Security Council sent a strong message to those who continue to spoil the political transition,” the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, said in a statement after a closed-door session with the Council.

“The Council called on all armed groups to refrain from any action which might exacerbate the already fragile situation. They further called all Member States to support the political transition,” he added.

In its statement, the Council also welcomed the recent progress in Yemen’s political transition, and urged authorities to expedite the process of reforms, including army and security sector reform.

It also urged all the parties in Yemen to adhere to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation, reject acts of violence to achieve political goals, refrain from provocation and abide by Council resolutions.

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen. UN Photo/Mark Garten