UN Security Council unanimously renews Yemen sanctions

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Security Council unanimously agreed Wednesday to renew its Yemeni sanctions mandate for another year.

The resolution allows targeted financial and travel ban measures on designated Yemeni individuals until Nov. 15, 2025.

The mandate for the Yemen Panel of Experts, responsible for monitoring and reporting on the sanctions, was also extended until Dec. 15, 2025, via the UK-submitted resolution.

UK's envoy Barbara Woodward emphasized that extending the sanctions was "crucial to rejuvenating the Yemeni peace process."

She said that it "sends a clear signal" from the Council to the Houthis, underlining its importance in curbing Houthi efforts to destabilize Yemen.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis are since believed to have been killed in the conflict, while 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.