Yemen Monitor | Newsroom:
The Houthi group has escalated its rhetoric against the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) in Djibouti, demanding its immediate cancellation and threatening military escalation in the Red Sea if newly implemented procedures—which they described as “arbitrary”—remain in effect.
This stance was conveyed in a letter sent by Jamal Amer, the Houthis’ unrecognized foreign minister, to the UN Secretary-General. In it, Amer accused the UN of remaining silent in the face of what he called unjustified inspection measures, warning that they undermine peace efforts and worsen the humanitarian crisis.
Amer claimed the new procedures, which came into effect in early July and include full physical inspections and container openings, represent a serious escalation and a shift in the mechanism’s mission—from facilitating aid access to imposing “collective punishment.”
He called for a return to the previous arrangements that allowed goods to pass without stringent restrictions, arguing that the continued implementation of these inspections threatens Red Sea stability and reflects a loss of trust in the UN’s role.
It is worth noting that UNVIM was established in 2016 under UN Security Council Resolution 2216, with the goal of ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen via the Red Sea, while preventing weapons smuggling to the Houthis.
