SANAA
Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi on Sunday urged the UN Security Council to halt the "aggression" of Shiite Houthi militants through Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which permits the use of military force.
"The Thursday offensive on Aden is a pure act of aggression on the Yemeni people and the constitutional legitimacy, as well as an assault on Yemen's sovereignty and security," Hadi said in a message to members of the UN Security Council (UNSC).
"It is, therefore, that I request your urgent assistance by every possible mean to halt the aggression that is attempting to undermine the legitimate authority, fragment Yemen, and destroy its security and stability," Hadi said.
On Thursday, 13 people were killed and dozens were wounded in Aden during clashes between army forces supported by pro-Hadi militias and rogue special forces units.
The presidential palace in Aden was also bombarded by a Houthi fighter jet before anti-aircraft guns responded to the aerial assault.
"The actions of the Houthi militias and their allies are detrimental to not only regional peace, but also international order," Hadi said, calling on UNSC members to "protect the country's constitutional legitimacy, the Gulf initiative, and the UNSC decisions that support it."
The Yemeni president went on to urge the UNSC to hold an emergency session and pass a binding resolution to deter the Houthi movement and its allies and halt its "aggression" on all provinces, especially on the southern city of Aden.
Hadi also called on the UNSC to impose stringent sanctions in accordance with Chapter VII on anyone who violates UNSC resolutions or aids Houthi militants.
Last month, Hadi fled to Aden escaping a Houthi-imposed house arrest in Sanaa.
Yemen's Houthis emerged as a formidable political and military force last September when they assumed control of capital Sanaa before establishing control over other parts of the country as well.
Last month, the Houthis issued what they described as a constitutional declaration dissolving parliament and establishing a 551-member transitional council.
The declaration was, however, rejected by most of Yemen's political forces – along with some neighboring Gulf countries – which described it as a "coup against constitutional legitimacy."
Fractious Yemen has remained in a state of turmoil since pro-democracy protests forced autocratic president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down in 2012 after 33 years in power.
