U.N. to Sanction Those Opposing Yemen’s Transition

Photo Credit: un-report.blogspot.com

The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved last week’s resolution threatening non-military sanctions against any who would undermine Yemen’s transition to democracy. Despite the efforts of newly elected President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, the government must confront many challenges in its transition. Yemen’s U.N. envoy Jamal Benomar told reporters, “The unprecedented humanitarian and economic challenges faced by the Yemenis are acute and must be addressed to avoid further deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Yemen.” The resolution aims to preempt all actions that would undermine Yemen’s national unity and political transition, including terrorist attacks. Today, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice tweeted,”This morning, the UNSC sent a clear, unified message that Yemen must  move forward with its transition, unhindered by discord or violence.”

In related news, aid-providing NGOs in Yemen are struggling to meet the humanitarian demands brought on by war in the Abyan Governorate where government troops have for a month fought to crush a local Al Qaeda ally, Ansar Al Shariah. Few aid workers have been granted access to the governorate and those in Aden face growing security constraints due to organized criminal groups, the IRIN reported. “We are trying to take measures that will mitigate risk, such as placing staff under strict curfew and avoiding our offices on certain days due to the rising organized criminality,” said Tareq Talahma, humanitarian affairs officer with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Aden.

This comes as al-Arabiyya news reports that millions are suffering from food and water shortages due to the country’s political turmoil. Particularly at risk are hundreds of thousansd of children who face life-threatening levels of malnutrition and starvation. “Now we have an average one or two cases every day of severe malnutrition which we classify as severe malnutrition. Mild malnutrition is highly prevalent in Yemen and does not require hospitalization,” said Dr. Riyadh Mansour, head of the children’s department at the Al-Sabeen Hospital For Motherhood, Childhood And Gynecology.