The key facts

  • The UN Security Council unanimously extended the Yemen sanctions regime until November 14, 2027
  • New individuals were added to the sanctions list; Houthi maritime and cross-border attacks were condemned
  • The mandate of the sanctions Panel of Experts was extended until December 15, 2027

UN Security Council decision

The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved an extension of the Yemen sanctions regime for another year. The resolution allows targeted financial sanctions and travel bans to be applied against designated Yemeni individuals until November 14, 2027.

What else the resolution provides for

The document, submitted with the support of the United Kingdom, added a number of individuals in Yemen to the sanctions list and condemned the Houthi group's maritime and cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia, as well as their threats to commercial vessels. The mandate of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, which monitors compliance with the sanctions and prepares reports, was extended until December 15, 2027.

Context of the escalation

The extension of sanctions comes against the backdrop of a military escalation between government forces and the Houthis that resumed in July. According to UN data, 12,000 people were killed or wounded as a result. The escalation ended a period of relative calm that had lasted since April 2022 and worsened the humanitarian crisis in the country amid ongoing fighting and population displacement. The war in Yemen has been going on since September 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and a number of provinces; in March 2015, the Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government.