The Yemeni government on Thursday urged sanctioning Houthi militia leaders behind blocking access to the rundown FSO Safer, a floating oil storage and offloading vessel that is moored in the Red Sea north of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah.
With reports confirming that the situation at FSO Safer is getting worse by the day, Yemeni government officials called on the UN and the international community to take practical steps and impose sanctions on Houthi leaders for holding the oil tanker hostage.
“It is good that the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, blamed Houthis for not allowing maintenance experts onboard Safer in his Wednesday briefing to the UNSC,” said Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi.
“Sanctions must be imposed on Houthi leaders and officials responsible for keeping technical experts away from the ship, especially that the situation is worsening,” Badi added.
Abdullah Al-Saadi, Yemen’s permanent representative at the UN, warned that militias are committed to an agenda that goes against international efforts aimed at averting an environmental and economic catastrophe caused by an oil leak at Safer.
“The ongoing intransigence of Houthi militias who ignore efforts and calls of the international community confirms the group’s malign behavior and agenda and its flagrant defiance of the international community,” Saadi said.
Yemen’s government promised to facilitate the mission of the UN experts, urging the international community to mount more pressure on the Houthis not to politicize the oil tanker.
“With regard to the Safer oil tanker, the government of Yemen calls on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and pressure the Houthis to stop politicizing the issue and immediately allow the UN teams access to the tanker to undertake assessment and repair works to avert an imminent catastrophe,” Saadi added.
Houthis, backed by Iran, are also impeding the finalization of a Joint Declaration sponsored by Griffiths.
Additionally, the group is blamed for causing the deteriorated humanitarian condition in the war-torn country.
“The Houthis must be held accountable for their murderous conduct against Yemen’s neighbors, including Saudi Arabia. Iran is fueling this violence, providing funds, weapons and training, and making a political solution to the conflict in Yemen less achievable,” said US Permanent Representative to the UN Kelly Craft.
Craft, in her address to the UNSC, made remarks about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen and urged the militias to stop hindering the delivery of aid.
“Yemen’s food insecurity remains dire, with record malnutrition among children under five,” she said, adding that “Houthis must end their obstruction of humanitarian efforts immediately.”
“The US continues to encourage humanitarian donors to provide resources critical to preventing further suffering,” she noted.
Regarding the Safer tanker, Craft said: “It is unconscionable that month after month the reality remains the same: The Houthis continue to withhold final approval of the UN mission’s plan for an assessment and initial repairs of this corroding vessel.”
“The US reiterates the urgent need for the Houthis to cease exploiting the threat of environmental and economic disaster simply to gain political leverage.”
“Houthis need to take responsibility by providing their final agreement without further delay,” she stressed.
