KEY POINTS
- UN Security Council will meet over rising tensions around Bab al Mandab Strait.
- Six countries requested the emergency session.
- The meeting follows an advance by Iran backed Houthi forces towards the strategic waterway.
- Bab al Mandab is a major shipping link between Europe and Asia.
MAIN STORY
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the security situation around the Bab al Mandab Strait following the latest escalation in Yemen.
The British UN mission said Bahrain, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom requested the session, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time.
Representatives of Yemen and Saudi Arabia are expected to join the 15 members of the Security Council for the meeting.
The session comes after Iran backed Houthi forces advanced towards Bab al Mandab, potentially bringing the group closer to one of the world’s key maritime passages.
The development could increase the Houthis’ ability to target commercial shipping in the area, with the group having attacked vessels in the region since 2023.
The Houthis have said they intend to ensure the safety of shipping through the strait, while excluding Saudi vessels from that assurance as part of what the group describes as a blockade.
The group seized northern Yemen, including the capital Sana’a, in 2014 and continues to control significant parts of the country.
Saudi Arabia has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its prolonged conflict with the Houthis and has fought the group as part of a regional military coalition for more than a decade.
The strategic importance of Bab al Mandab extends beyond the Yemen conflict. The strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and forms part of the maritime route between the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal, and the Indian Ocean.
The route provides a major link between Europe and Asia and is regarded as the shortest maritime connection between the two regions.
THE ISSUES
- The Houthi advance towards Bab al Mandab raises the risk of renewed disruption to commercial shipping around a waterway that is important to international trade.
- The location of the strait means that heightened security risks could have implications beyond Yemen, particularly for vessels using the Red Sea and Suez Canal route.
- The Houthis’ stated intention to exclude Saudi shipping from their security assurances adds another dimension to the wider confrontation between the group and Saudi Arabia.
- The emergency Security Council meeting reflects growing international concern over the potential security and maritime consequences of the latest developments in Yemen.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The Houthis have said they want to guarantee the safety of shipping through the strait, except for Saudi Arabia.” – British UN mission
WHAT’S NEXT
The UN Security Council is expected to consider the security situation around Bab al Mandab during the emergency session, with representatives of Yemen and Saudi Arabia scheduled to participate.
BOTTOM LINE
The Houthi advance towards Bab al Mandab has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commercial shipping through a critical Europe Asia maritime route. The UN Security Council is responding with an emergency meeting focused on the developing situation.
