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| UN rejects plan to demand immediate ceasefire in Yemen port | UN rejects plan to demand immediate ceasefire in Yemen port |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The UN security council has rejected a move to demand an immediate end to the fighting around the strategic Yemeni port of Hodeidah despite warnings from aid agencies that an attack could jeopardise vital aid to a country on the brink of famine. | The UN security council has rejected a move to demand an immediate end to the fighting around the strategic Yemeni port of Hodeidah despite warnings from aid agencies that an attack could jeopardise vital aid to a country on the brink of famine. |
| The 15-strong body failed to agree to a statement calling on forces led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to implement a ceasefire, with the US and UK both voicing opposition to the text introduced by Sweden. | |
| The council instead called for restraint and “urged all sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law” in fighting for the city currently held by rebel Houthi forces. Pro-government forces backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia began an assault on Wednesday. | The council instead called for restraint and “urged all sides to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law” in fighting for the city currently held by rebel Houthi forces. Pro-government forces backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia began an assault on Wednesday. |
| The Swedish ambassador to the UN, Carl Skau, said: “It is time for the security council to call for an immediate freeze of the military attack on Hodeidah to give the special envoy and United Nations-led efforts a chance to avert disaster and find a sustainable political solution to the conflict.” | |
| 2011 An Arab Spring-inspired uprising forces Yemen’s authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to agree to leave office. | 2011 An Arab Spring-inspired uprising forces Yemen’s authoritarian president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to agree to leave office. |
| 2012 Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, previously Saleh’s deputy, takes over as president following an election. He was the only candidate. He struggles to unite the country’s divided political landscape, cope with food insecurity and al-Qaida threats. | 2012 Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, previously Saleh’s deputy, takes over as president following an election. He was the only candidate. He struggles to unite the country’s divided political landscape, cope with food insecurity and al-Qaida threats. |
| 2014 Houthi rebels (who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam) make advances and begin capturing the north of the country, an area they have historically controlled. In September they enter the capital, Sana’a. Hadi flees to Aden. | 2014 Houthi rebels (who belong to the Zaydi sect of Shia Islam) make advances and begin capturing the north of the country, an area they have historically controlled. In September they enter the capital, Sana’a. Hadi flees to Aden. |
| 2015 A renewed rebel offensive forces Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia, which views the Houthis as an Iranian proxy force. It begins bombing what it says are “military targets” associated with the Houthis and forces loyal to Hadi’s predecessor, Saleh. The Saudi air campaign receives backing from a coalition of Sunni Arab states, as well as logistical support from the US, UK and France. | 2015 A renewed rebel offensive forces Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia, which views the Houthis as an Iranian proxy force. It begins bombing what it says are “military targets” associated with the Houthis and forces loyal to Hadi’s predecessor, Saleh. The Saudi air campaign receives backing from a coalition of Sunni Arab states, as well as logistical support from the US, UK and France. |
| June 2016 The Saudi-led coalition is included on a UN blacklist of states and groups that violate children’s rights in conflict, reporting it is responsible for 60% of child deaths and injuries. After Riyadh protests, the UN removes it from the list. Human Rights Watch warns of “political manipulation”. At least 6,200 people have been killed, 2.8 million displaced. | June 2016 The Saudi-led coalition is included on a UN blacklist of states and groups that violate children’s rights in conflict, reporting it is responsible for 60% of child deaths and injuries. After Riyadh protests, the UN removes it from the list. Human Rights Watch warns of “political manipulation”. At least 6,200 people have been killed, 2.8 million displaced. |
| October 2016 An airstrike by the Saudi coalition hits a funeral in Sana’a, killing 140. The UN announces a 72-hour ceasefire, which is allegedly broken by both sides. | October 2016 An airstrike by the Saudi coalition hits a funeral in Sana’a, killing 140. The UN announces a 72-hour ceasefire, which is allegedly broken by both sides. |
| 2017 Devastated by two years of fighting, Yemen is described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions facing famine and the threat of cholera. | 2017 Devastated by two years of fighting, Yemen is described by the UN as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Millions facing famine and the threat of cholera. |
| November 2017 Saudi Arabia imposes a blockade on Yemen’s ports, following the firing of a missile at Riyadh from rebel-held territory in Yemen. Medicines, vaccines and food are prevented from entering the country. The heads of the World Food Programme, Unicef and the World Health Organisation warn “untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die”. | November 2017 Saudi Arabia imposes a blockade on Yemen’s ports, following the firing of a missile at Riyadh from rebel-held territory in Yemen. Medicines, vaccines and food are prevented from entering the country. The heads of the World Food Programme, Unicef and the World Health Organisation warn “untold thousands of innocent victims, among them many children, will die”. |
| Rebecca Ratcliffe | Rebecca Ratcliffe |
| David Miliband, the chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, supported the Swedes and challenged claims Hodeidah’s port and humanitarian aid could be protected during an attack, saying there was “a great danger of besiegement and long-term urban warfare”. | |
| He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the Saudi-led coalition, backing Yemen’s exiled government against the Houthi rebels, had repeatedly failed to make the progress it had predicted since it entered the war in 2015. “The immiseration of the Yemini people is quite extraordinary: 22 million in need of humanitarian aid; 8 million at risk of starvation; 50,000 died last year from cholera or cholera-related diseases,” he said. | |
| The impasse at the UN keeps open the option of a direct attack on the port for the Saudi-led coalition, but it is aware this could lead to a massive backlash from western governments and aid agencies. | |
| Arab warplanes and warships on Thursday pounded Houthi positions in southern Hodeidah, with more than 40 fighters reported killed. There was no direct attack on the port, in the north-west of the city, and the coalition said the aim was to keep the port functional. | |
| Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE ambassador to the UN, insisted the military offensive was “a deliberate, carefully prepared and executed operation”. | |
| Saudi Arabia’s UN ambassador, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, added: “Our desire in Hodeidah is not to infuriate the Houthis or to kill as many of them as we possibly can. To the contrary, we have allowed them safe passage to the north of the city if they want to drop their arms and leave.” | Saudi Arabia’s UN ambassador, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, added: “Our desire in Hodeidah is not to infuriate the Houthis or to kill as many of them as we possibly can. To the contrary, we have allowed them safe passage to the north of the city if they want to drop their arms and leave.” |
| He challenged reports calling Hodeida “a lifeline to Yemen for humanitarian aid”, arguing there were nine ports in Yemen and two in Saudi Arabia that could be used to reach those in need. | |
| The security council’s refusal to call for a ceasefire suggests the UK, US and France have accepted the Saudi and UAE claim that jeopardising aid flows is a justifiable risk if Houthi forces can be ousted from the city. | |
| It will fuel claims, led by the former Conservative international development secretary Andrew Mitchell, that Britain is not acting as an honest broker on Yemen at the UN, but siding with Saudi Arabia because of the UK’s strong commercial links with the Gulf states. | |
| The UK ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, denied this: “We make our own decisions in the security council and we make them on the basis of the British national interest, including wider issues of security. The most important aspect is to secure a political settlement.” | |
| Critics of the Saudi-UAE assault say it has been timed to scupper the initiative of the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, who was due to publish his peace plan on Monday and had been trying to negotiate a Houthi withdrawal from the port in return for the UN taking charge. | |
| The UAE argues privately that capturing Hodeidah will deprive Houthis of $30m-$40m (£22.5m-£30m) in revenue and force them to negotiate. It also claims the port has been used to smuggle weapons from Iran, including missile parts used to fire into Saudi Arabia. | |
| The UAE said the US had rejected its request for intelligence, minesweeping and airborne reconnaissance assets for the Hodeidah attack, but France had agreed to provide minesweeping support. | |
| The French government stressed such operations would only be carried out after the port had been freed, and it was not involved in any operations during the conflict. | |
| Stressing the threat to food supplies, Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: “Dozens of UN staff are in the city helping to deliver food, water and health services. We estimate that 600,000 civilians are in the city – many of whom are dependent on assistance to survive.” | Stressing the threat to food supplies, Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: “Dozens of UN staff are in the city helping to deliver food, water and health services. We estimate that 600,000 civilians are in the city – many of whom are dependent on assistance to survive.” |
| Adama Dieng, the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide, said: “Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime and was condemned by the security council in resolution 2417 of 24 May 2018. | Adama Dieng, the UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide, said: “Starvation of civilians as a method of war is a war crime and was condemned by the security council in resolution 2417 of 24 May 2018. |
| “It seems that the first test of this resolution is Yemen: Hodeidah is a lifeline for the delivery of aid and the coalition’s airstrikes can kill many more people over time through famine and hunger when damaging such civilian infrastructure.” | |
| Yemen | Yemen |
| Middle East and North Africa | Middle East and North Africa |
| United Nations | United Nations |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi Arabia |
| United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates |
| David Miliband | David Miliband |
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