UN Security Council strongly condemns Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council has strongly condemned attacks by Houthi terrorists on merchant and commercial ships in the Red Sea from November 2023, saying they disrupt global commerce and undermine navigation rights.
The 15-nation Council adopted a resolution on Wednesday condemning in “the strongest terms” at least two dozen Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial ships since November 19, 2023, when the Houthis sank the Galaxy Leader and her crew. attacked and seized them.
The resolution demanded that the Houthis immediately cease all attacks that disrupt global trade and undermine navigation rights and freedoms, as well as regional peace and security.
The resolution was adopted with 11 votes in favor, none against and 4 abstentions – Algeria, China, Mozambique and Russia.
It urged caution and restraint to prevent further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the wider region and encouraged diplomatic efforts by all parties, including negotiations under the auspices of the United Nations and continued support for Yemen’s peace process.
Amid growing global concerns over Houthi terrorists intensifying attacks on several commercial ships in the region, India last week said it was closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Red Sea.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal’s comments come a day after the Indian Navy said its ships and aircraft are “mission deployed” to maintain surveillance and conduct maritime security operations in the North and Central Arabian Sea. “We attach great importance to freedom of navigation, free movement of commercial shipping. This is an evolving situation and we are looking into all aspects of it,” Jaiswal had said at a media briefing in Delhi last week.
“As you know, we have Indian Navy ships patrolling the area. They are also keeping an eye on Indian ships there. As of now, we are not part of any multilateral initiative in this region. We are watching the unfolding situation very closely,” he had said.
Concerns have grown over several attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi militants in the past few weeks amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Liberian-flagged ship MV Chem Pluto with 21 Indian crew members on board was the target of a drone attack off India’s west coast on December 23, raising security concerns in New Delhi.
Apart from MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was heading towards India fell victim to a suspected drone attack in the southern Red Sea on the same day. There was a team of 25 Indian crew on the ship.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, told the council that there have been dozens of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since November, affecting more than 40 different countries.
The Houthis have also taken more than 25 hostages from ships they seized over the past few months.
“And so, it is clear: the Council must now speak with a united voice and adopt this resolution. Repeated Houthi attacks on international shipping are a security threat. They are an economic threat, increasing the prices people pay for food, medicine and energy. And as the resolution before us emphasizes, they are a humanitarian threat, undermining the international community’s ability to provide assistance to the more than 21 million Yemeni people in need,” she said.
He said the threat to navigation rights and freedom in the Red Sea is a global challenge that requires a global response.
“The basic principle of freedom of navigation is under threat. And the Houthis, and anyone who enables them, need to hear a clear message from this Council: These attacks must stop.
