UN Sanctions Committee Team Holds Meetings with Yemeni Officials in Aden

The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
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UN Sanctions Committee Team Holds Meetings with Yemeni Officials in Aden

The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)
The sanctions committee affiliated with the UN Security Council during a previous visit to Aden, Yemen (Yemeni government media)

A team from the international sanctions committee concerned with Yemen is holding ongoing meetings in the city of Aden with civilian and military officials, as well as activists, aiming to compile a comprehensive report on the Yemeni situation by the end of 2023.

The team is expected to submit its findings to the UN Security Council.

The report will encompass political, military, security, and economic aspects. This marks the second visit by the team since the beginning of the year.

According to Yemeni government sources, the team, which arrived in Aden a few days ago, has held several meetings with various officials from government, civilian, military, and security entities.

They have also engaged with human rights activists.

These meetings will continue in the coming days to discuss the issues that will be included in the new annual report, covering military and security aspects, human rights, as well as financial, economic, and anti-corruption matters.

Sources informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the UN team directed a series of inquiries to these entities related to its work and demanded clarifications on a wide range of issues.

It did not suffice to merely send these questions; instead, the team held direct meetings with officials from those entities and requested detailed answers to all the raised concerns.

According to the sources, the team is reviewing the extent to which these entities adhere to the implementation of all agreements concluded by the international bodies with Yemen’s government, as well as previous recommendations included in the reports.

Due to the continuous refusal of Houthi militias to receive the UN team since the formation of the sanctions committee until now, the sources reported that the team relies on activists and confidential sources to gather information about the situation in areas under Houthi control.

Additionally, the team sends written messages to the group; however, Houthis persistently decline to respond to these inquiries and refuse to engage with the committee, especially concerning the ongoing recruitment of underage individuals and the lack of adherence to the agreement made with the UN in this regard.



Argentina Withdraws from UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

 UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
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Argentina Withdraws from UN Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon

 UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)
UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicles ride along a street amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Marjeyoun, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon November 19, 2024. (Reuters)

Argentina has notified the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon of its withdrawal from the force, a UNIFIL spokesperson said on Tuesday, in the first sign of cracks in the unity of the mission following attacks it has blamed on Israel.

The 10,000-strong United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the demarcation line with Israel, an area where there have been hostilities between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters for over a year.

"Argentina has asked its officers to go back (to Argentina)," UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in response to a question about a newspaper report.

He declined to comment on the reason for their departure, referring the question to Argentina's government.

Argentina is one of 48 countries contributing peacekeepers to UNIFIL, with a total of three staff currently in Lebanon, a UN website showed. It did not immediately respond to Tenenti's comments.

UNIFIL has previously referred to "unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission through various channels".

Peacekeepers have refused to leave their posts despite more than 20 injuries in the past two months and damage to facilities which UNIFIL blames on the Israeli military.

Israel has denied such incidents are deliberate attacks. Israel says UN troops provide a human shield for Hezbollah fighters and has told UNIFIL to evacuate from southern Lebanon for its own safety - a request that the force has rejected.

Tenenti said there was no broader indication of declining support for the mission.

"The idea is to stay. So there is no discussion of withdrawing at all," he said.

He said that its monitoring activities were "very, very limited" because of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and repairs to some of its facilities.

"We're still working on fixing some of the positions, but this has been definitely a very difficult moment, because we've been deliberately attacked by the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) in recent months, and we're doing our utmost to rebuild the areas," he said.

Israel's military did not immediately comment on Tenenti's remarks.