HAMILTON, Canada 

The UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen on Tuesday for the last time.

The resolution, penned by the UK's permanent mission, garnered 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from Russia and China.

With the adoption of the resolution, the mandate of the UNMHA is extended until March 31.

The UK's deputy UN envoy Archie Young welcomed the adoption.

"We look forward to the UN's orderly and sustainable transition of UNMHA's responsibilities and residual functions to the office of the special envoy," he said. "Once again, the UK condemns arbitrary detentions by the Houthis, and we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.”

Russia's deputy UN envoy, Anna Evstigneeva, told the Council that Russia "did not block the adoption of this resolution purely due to the request of representatives of Yemen as the host state, as well as from some of our regional partners."

"We firmly believe that at the present juncture, the Security Council's efforts in Yemen need to be focused first and foremost on facilitating comprehensive normalization and the establishment of conditions for launching inclusive inter-Yemeni dialogue," she added.

China's UN envoy Fu Cong described the situation in Yemen as complex and said that "the security conditions on the ground in Hudaydah are tense with a persistent risk of renewed conflict."

"China has approached the proposal to withdraw the UNMHA with caution," he said. "We believe that when considering the mission's future arrangements, the Council should fully take into account the situation on the ground in Hudaydah, manage the pace properly and avoid a hasty withdrawal that could destabilize the fragile situation and or even trigger new conflict."