Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent
Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on
Yemen.
President, the situation in Yemen is desperate, with devastating
flooding coming on top of an already dire humanitarian crisis and
we express condolences to all those affected by the flooding. The
prospect of regional escalation threatens to further undermine
security and stability. We urge all parties to deescalate to
avoid deepening the humanitarian crisis. The United Kingdom
condemns the Houthis' reckless and escalatory attacks across the
region in conjunction with other Iranian-linked groups. We also
reiterate our call on the Houthis to cease their attacks in the
Red Sea which threaten international shipping.
Recent reports have also shown Houthi links to Al Shabaab. We
firmly condemn these actions as part of a wider pattern of Houthi
destabilising activity beyond Yemen's borders. The relevant UN
sanctions committees must coordinate closely to monitor and
counter this worrying trend.
President, the UK condemns the Houthis' closure of the UN Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sana'a. The OHCHR
presence is critical for the protection of civilians and
reporting of human rights abuses. As we've heard, this follows
the detention of UN, NGO and former diplomatic missions' staff in
June, and is yet another blatant aggression which will severely
impede the delivery of vital aid to those most in
need.
These acts demonstrate, once again, the willingness of Houthi
leaders to inflict harm and suffering on the Yemeni people to
advance their own ambitions.
It is the duty of this Council, to ensure the Houthis guarantee a
safe and unimpeded operational environment for humanitarian
organisations. We call on the Houthis to immediately and
unconditionally release the detainees, leave the OHCHR premises
and return the assets they have seized.
Finally President, the Yemeni people deserve peace and further
escalation will only move us further away from achieving this. We
urge restraint from all parties to preserve space for
negotiations in line with the UN roadmap.
We call on this Council to remain unified in support of the
Special Envoy's efforts to secure an inclusive and sustainable
peace in Yemen.
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