Yemen says Bab el-Mandeb protection shared global responsibility

Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Vice President Abdullah al-Alimi said on Thursday that protecting the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait should not be borne by his country alone, accusing Houthi militants of turning the vital Red Sea shipping route into a tool of political blackmail.

'Shared responsibility' to protect vital passage

"Protecting this strategic passage is a shared regional and international responsibility that Yemen cannot bear alone," Al-Alimi told the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He warned that Houthi attacks on maritime navigation have transformed the security of one of the world's most important chokepoints into a bargaining chip. "The Houthi use of maritime security as a tool of blackmail is not only a threat to Yemen, but is holding the global economy hostage," he said.

Al-Alimi accused the Houthis of responding to peace initiatives with intransigence and using humanitarian truces to strengthen their military arsenal at the expense of civilians, claiming the group serves "an Iranian agenda" extending beyond Yemen's national interests. He also said the threat is being strengthened by the absence of an effective international position.

Restoring state authority

"There can be no sustainable peace as long as an armed militia remains above the state and outside the law," Al-Alimi said, adding that restoring effective state authority would contribute directly to regional stability. He urged the international community to move toward a "strategic partnership" with Yemen to strengthen regional security, stating that his government is capable of ending the Houthi threat and had dealt "responsibly and positively" with peace initiatives while making major concessions to alleviate civilian suffering.