WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The UN Security Council has renewed the mandate of the UN mission in Yemen's key port city of Hudaydah, as regional tensions spike and international concern mounts over recent Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Adopted unanimously, the resolution extending the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement until 2026 January 28 underscores the Mission's critical role in maintaining fragile stability amid signs of renewed military escalation and deepening humanitarian need.
The resolution reaffirms the Council's support for the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, including the ceasefire in the Houthi-controlled port city - and demilitarisation of its docks, where the majority of Yemen's imports and vital aid shipments pass through.
It also signals a growing debate over the mission's future, requesting the Secretary-General to submit a review by November to enhance coordination and coherence of UN operations, 'bearing in mind challenges' that have directly impeded UNMHA's capacity to deliver.
UNMHA was established in 2019 to support implementation of the Stockholm Agreement between the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah (as the Houthis are formally known), which sought to prevent major conflict over the region.
The mission monitors the ceasefire, facilitates redeployments and supports de-escalation through liaison mechanisms between the parties.
Meanwhile, Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea have intensified. On 8 July, the commercial vessel Eternity C was sunk, killing several crew members and leaving others missing. This followed the sinking of the Magic Seas vessel two days earlier.
In a statement, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg condemned the attacks, calling them violations of international maritime law and warning they risked serious environmental and geopolitical fallout.
He called on Ansar Allah to cease attacks that risk escalating tensions in and around Yemen.
Within Hudaydah itself, UNMHA faces significant constraints.
The June letter by the Secretary-General details restrictions by Houthi authorities on UN patrols to the critical Red Sea ports - Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa.
Damage from repeated airstrikes, including by the US and Israel in response to Houthi attacks, has left key port infrastructure partially inoperable, disrupting fuel, food and medical imports.
Hudaydah is responsible for 70 per cent of Yemen's commercial imports and 80 per cent of humanitarian deliveries.
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