The Security Council is expected this week to renew the mandate of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), which expires on 28 January, according to a UNSC monthly (January) forecast report.
The report added ”Another key issue for the Council is the future viability of UNMHA, Pursuant to resolution 2786 (adopted on 14 July), on 25 November, the Secretary-General submitted to the Council a review of the mission, including potential adjustments which could improve “efficiencies and structural coherence across [UN] missions in Yemen”.
The review presents three options for the Council to consider. One option is to streamline the mission by removing its physical patrolling capacity.
The two other options would involve shutting down the mission and augmenting the Office of the Special Envoy to take on relevant core tasks previously covered by the mission in support of the Hodeidah Agreement, either by maintaining a small presence in Hodeidah focused on these tasks, or by closing any full-time UN political presence in Hodeidah and making use of the existing locations of the Office of the Special Envoy.
The review also notes that the Houthis have indicated that a withdrawal of the UN political presence from Hodeidah would be considered a formal declaration of the cancellation of the Hodeidah Agreement. Council members are likely to carefully consider the implications of the respective options and decide on UNMHA’s future during the negotiations on its renewal in January.
Diverging positions also exist on the question of UNMHA’s future. The US has stressed that it is time to “sunset” the mission, whereas other Council members, including Russia and China, have expressed support for the mission’s value, highlighting its stabilising role in the Hodeidah region
The report mentioned that on 17 December, the Council held its monthly meeting on Yemen. The meeting was only held in closed consultations, apparently to avoid discussing the politically sensitive recent developments in an open setting.
Secretary-General António Guterres briefed Council members, following his visit to the region, including Saudi Arabia and Oman. Grundberg and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya also briefed in the closed session.
Amid shifting domestic and regional dynamics, Council members could consider convening an informal interactive dialogue (IID) with regional stakeholders, countries supporting the Yemen political process, and the Special Envoy, to discuss the implications of the latest developments on the UN’s efforts to facilitate an inclusive negotiated political settlement to end the Yemeni conflict.
Despite being critical of the Houthis, most Council members have maintained their support for an inclusive intra-Yemeni political process and continue to call for advancing mediation efforts between the conflict parties, including a resumption of dialogue and a peace process under UN auspices.
France, the UK, and the US have argued that the Council needs to respond to the worsening situation in Yemen through increased pressure on the Houthis—whom they believe are obstructing a political process in Yemen—including through the strengthening of the Yemen sanctions regime. The US has adopted a particularly hawkish position on the Houthis, unilaterally sanctioning the group and accusing Iran of supporting it.