Yemen arms embargo renewal may pave new path

The United Nations Security Council's decision to renew its arms embargo on Yemen and label Houthi rebels a "terrorist group" could pave a new path for negotiations, experts said, amid an increased emphasis on a political solution to the conflict in the country.

On Feb 28, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2624, renewing the arms embargo on Yemen for one year, as well as the travel ban and asset freeze against those "threatening peace in the country".

Resolution 2624, which was adopted with 11 votes in favor and four abstentions, decides that the Houthis as an entity shall be subject to the arms embargo contained in its previous Resolution 2216 of 2015.

The UNSC had previously sanctioned individuals or leaders of the Houthis, which control the northern part of Yemen and the capital city Sanaa.

Rasha Al Joundy, research supervisor at the Dubai Public Policy Research Center, said the resolution was "not intended to complicate the humanitarian efforts in Yemen", but it presents a direct message to the Houthis that there is "an impatience in the international community" resulting from the obstruction of any mediation to end the yearslong war, and pressure will only increase if they keep adopting the same policies.

"The international community's united position in the (UNSC) could present a new path, where the Houthis stop their present military escalation internally and externally to avoid more reactions," she said.

This is why the Houthis "were finally receptive" to cooperation with the UN to offload crude oil from a rusting tanker, Al Joundy said.

Abdulghani Al-Iryani, senior researcher at think tank Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies, said while the UNSC resolution designates Houthis as a terrorist group, it does not come with concrete sanctions.

Resolution welcomed

Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the resolution condemns cross-border attacks by the "Houthis terrorist group", including those on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, a political bloc that consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, welcomed the resolution in a statement by its secretary-general Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also welcomed the terrorist listing of the Houthi militia and its supporters.

Meanwhile, representatives of Mexico, Norway, Ireland and Brazil to the UNSC expressed concerns about the resolution's characterization of the Houthis as a terrorist group with the absence of an internationally agreed definition of "terrorism" or "terrorist groups", adding that this could have immediate repercussions on humanitarian actors and on many national legal systems.

Hussein Al-Suhaili, chairman of nonprofit Tamdeen Youth Foundation in Sanaa, expressed worry that the "terrorist" designation could affect the payment of funds to humanitarian workers, the purchase of food, fuel and even internet access.

Xinhua contributed to this story.