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7596th Security Council Meeting: Situation in the Middle East, Yemen
Despite deep remaining divisions, the latest round of peace negotiations between parties to the conflict in Yemen had provided a solid foundation for resumed talks in January and a renewed, strengthened cessation of hostilities, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy told the Security Council in today.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the 15 December negotiations in Switzerland between the Government of Yemen and opposition groups had aimed to end the violence and develop a framework for bringing the country back to a peaceful and orderly transition, as called for by the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and outcomes of the National Dialogue. While the cessation of hostilities, announced on 15 December, had been welcomed by the Government and the Houthis, numerous violations had been reported on its third day. That lack of compliance underscored the need for stronger agreements and more robust mechanisms to ensure adherence.
One successful outcome had been the creation of a coordination and de-escalation committee designed to liaise with military leadership, he continued. Participants had agreed that it should continue its work in the coming months and be based in the region, with United Nations support. “This is a concrete and practical outcome of the talks in Switzerland that I hope will allow a more effective ceasefire agreement in the near future,” he said.
Joining Mr. Ahmed were Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Kyung-Wha Kang, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, who briefed the Council on the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Mr. Hussein said the combined impact of violence and artificial impediments to aid delivery had been disastrous. Some 21 million people — 80 per cent of Yemen’s people — now relied on assistance and half the population suffered from malnutrition. Intensified patterns of abuse included violations of the right to life, destruction of civilian infrastructure and illegal detention by all parties. Heavy shelling from the ground and air continued in areas with a high concentration of civilians.
Warning that failure to act would spell misery for millions of Yemenis and push the country into an irreversible process of balkanization, he said the ramifications of a failed State in Yemen would create safe havens for radical and confessional groups. It was imperative to set political and ideological differences aside in order to re-establish some measure of security and stability, he emphasized.
Ms. Kang said humanitarian actors had seized the 15 December cessation of hostilities to carry out needs assessments and project monitoring, which had been “extremely challenging” due to the lack of security guarantees. Amid “appalling” conditions, 7.6 million people required emergency food assistance. Since mid-March, the conflict had spread to 20 of Yemen’s 22 governorates, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation brought on by years of poverty, poor governance and instability.
The 2.5 million internally displaced people represented an eight-fold increase since the start of the fighting, she said, noting that the highest number, at 400,000, was in Taiz Governorate, followed by Amran and Hajjah. On a positive note, she said she was relieved to report that food imports had returned to pre-crisis levels. Fuel imports, while only half of what they had been, had increased four-fold since October. It was critical to sustain those increases, she stressed.
In the ensuing debate, speakers expressed deep concern about the protracted conflict and worsening humanitarian disaster in Yemen, decrying the fact that 7.6 million people required aid. Several said they had hoped for greater progress in the Switzerland talks, while others described the fact that the parties had come together in Switzerland for face-to-face meetings as “no small feat”. While voicing regret over the lack of engagement in adhering to the ceasefire, they welcomed the agreement to resume talks in January, emphasizing that the humanitarian situation required it.
In that context, Jordan’s representative condemned all violations of humanitarian laws, including those by Saudi Arabia through its use of missiles. The city of Taiz had suffered the worst form of collective punishment through the prevention of aid, she said, urging States to press the Houthis to allow it entry. The Gulf Cooperation Council must be part of the solution because the situation threatened the entire region, she said.
Yemen’s representative said the Government sought to revive commercial activity and, in August, had agreed with the United Nations and coalition forces on the implementation of a verification and inspection mechanism. However, shipments destined for Yemen’s northern and central areas had been plundered by warlords and “putschists” who engaged in political blackmail to prevent their movement. Confidence-building measures should be taken ahead of the coming talks, especially on the release of political detainees and the removal of impediments to aid and commercial goods delivery.
The representative of the Russian Federation said all Yemeni forces must unite and push back against terrorism, adding that his delegation expected a “ratcheting up” of efforts for the beginning of substantive talks about a withdrawal of forces and the rebuilding of Yemen.
Also speaking today were representatives of United Kingdom, Chad, Malaysia, Spain, Venezuela, China, Lithuania, Nigeria, Angola, New Zealand, Chile, France and the United States.
The meeting began at 10:35 a.m. and ended at 12:35 p.m.
