UNSC imposes arms embargo on Houthi rebels

E-Paper | March 18, 2026

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council imposed on Tuesday arms embargo on the Houthi rebels in Yemen and blacklisted a Houthi leader and a son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The vote was 14-0, with Russia abstaining. The Russian ambassador explained the move by saying that not all of Moscow’s proposals had been included in the final text drafted by Jordan and Gulf Arab states.

The Jordanian draft resolution was being debated alongside a separate Russian draft, which called for a “humanitarian pause” in air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition.

An all-inclusive arms embargo on all parties in the Yemeni conflict, suggested earlier by Russia as an amendment to the Arab draft, was rejected.

“We insisted that the arms embargo needs to be comprehensive; it’s well known that Yemen is awash in weapons,” Vitaly Churkin, the Russian envoy, said.

“The adopted resolution should not be used for further escalation of the armed conflict.”

Resolution also calls upon rebels to withdraw from Sanaa and other areas they have seized

The Houthi rebels took control of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in September. They are now fighting for the strategic port city of Aden, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have been bombing the Houthi rebels since March 25, with over 1,000 people reported killed since the start of the conflict.

The Houthi leader, Abdul Malek al Houthi, and the ex-president’s eldest son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, will face an asset freeze and travel ban in accordance with the sanctions.

Last November, UNSC imposed similar sanctions on Saleh, the rebel group’s military commander Abd al-Khaliq al-Houthi and the Houthi’s second-in-command, Abdullah Yahya al Hakim.

The resolution also urged “Member States, in particular States neighbouring Yemen, to inspect ... all cargo to Yemen” if they had reasonable grounds to believe it contained weapons.

The resolution demanded all Yemeni parties to stop fighting, especially the Houthis, who were called upon to withdraw from Sanaa and other areas they had seized.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

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Santosh Menon

Apr 15, 2015 07:58am

Does it matter?. Iran is going to supply the necessary (with Russians, no wonder they abstained), weapons!.

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Faisal Bajwa

Apr 15, 2015 08:45am

There you go, now it's a legit cause, just like that.

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Muhammad iqbal

Apr 15, 2015 09:10am

UNSC must also put embargo on US for selling arms to other countries and spreading hatred

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Hisham

Apr 15, 2015 09:21am

Why don't they do the same with the rebel army in Syria? Why don't they term the Saudis and GCC countries as war criminals committing sectarian murders. I am glad Pakistan is not getting involved and I hope our political leadership, which is finally using their minds and thinking, stays as far away from this conflict as possible except when it comes to a diplomatic solution. No one is trying to understand why the Houthis are doing this or what was wrong with president Hadi's government that forced an uprising. Instead, as always, money talks and the rich GCC states launched a war against a non existential threat to their peace and security. And no one is criticizing them for the murder that they are committing.

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Dr Mansoor Qasim

Apr 15, 2015 09:30am

Russia must veto this resolution backed by Arab States.Saudi Arabia has no moral right to waget war against its weak and feeble neighbour.Only innocent civilians have been killed so far.Saudi Arabia must be brought to the International Court of Justice for such war crimes. We appreciate our country's stance on such crisis.Pakistan must act out its role in bringing warring factions to dialogue and end this situation at the earliest.

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saz

Apr 15, 2015 09:47am

Where is justice in such resolution. Those who are attacking Yemen like Saudia and other GCC countries and US are neither banned nor considered rebel despite none belongs to Yemen and none has a right to decide the future of Yemen. Those who are truly belongs to Yemen are considered terrorists and Interestingly all invaders and recruited terrorists of Al Nusra front and Free Syrian Army recently called as Islamic state created and sponsored by US Saudi and isreli alliance was never banned and never deprived by arms delivery. Even it has been reported that same groups are receiving aerial supply of food, arms, ammo and cash etc persistently by US jet planes as well as funds by Saudi monarch and rest of their GCC countries. Russia and China must have veto this resolution as eventually those who are attacking Yemen and want to control Yemen waters and calling Houthis as rebels are eventually to eventually suffocate China and Russia & rest of other regional countries including Pakistan.

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Pragmatist

Apr 15, 2015 09:50am

Russians should have vetoed this resolution. Anyhow it does not make any difference. Yemen is flush with weapons and Houthis will be just fine. It will be Saudis and their allies that will loose in the end. The fire started by Riyadh will soon engulf their own man made heaven.

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Kabeer

Apr 15, 2015 10:08am

Will UNSC dare to "request" Israel to withdraw from Palestinian land and freeze the assets of US and Israeli leaders for violating the international laws ? will UNSC punish Saudi Arabia for unilaterally bombing innocent Yemeni people ?

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SAMEER

Apr 15, 2015 10:25am

Another show of UN's double standards.... can they explain why arm embargo is not imposed on US for supplying sophisticated weaponary to Israel who occupied the entire nation of palestainain people... and why US is dropping weapons to ISIS in Iraq and Syria???? In-justice served again...

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saz

Apr 15, 2015 10:25am

Where is justice in such resolution. Those who are attacking Yemen like Saudia and other GCC countries along with US are neither banned nor considered war criminals despite they are going against basic human rights and charter of UN for integrity and sovereignty of states and despite none of them belongs to Yemen and none has a right to decide the future of Yemen.

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saz

Apr 15, 2015 10:28am

Those who are truly belongs to Yemen are considered terrorists and are subjected to ban while all invaders and terrorists of Al Nusra front & Free Syrian Army recently called as Islamic state created and sponsored by US Saudi and isreli alliance was never banned and never deprived of arms. In fact US passed bills to finance them and provide them heavy ammunition in their upper house in 2013 and 2014 and Saudia along with rest of corrupt monarchs kept funding them with billions of dollars and kept recruiting them through their hired corrupt clergy. Even it has been reported that same terrorist groups are still receiving aerial supply of food, arms, cash etc by US jet planes in Iraq and Syria in their fake fight against terrorism. UNSC could not see any of such facts. It seems intentional omission and ignorance of reality.

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saz

Apr 15, 2015 10:32am

Russia and China should have veto this resolution as eventually those who are attacking Yemen in their coalition and want to control Yemen waters and calling Houthis as rebels are eventually come to suffocate them & rest of other regional countries including Pakistan. The imperial control of region will only favour tyrant emperors to maintain their hegemony and ordinary masses would be definitely at loss.

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saz

Apr 15, 2015 10:33am

Today majority of Muslims and world audience does not recognize that they are going to be at loss if Saudi and GCC countries serving the interests of US nato isreli alliance are succeeded due to persistent false reporting of facts by US nato Saudi fed media industry and persistent negative propaganda against Shia community by their hired hate mongers and fake clergy but tomorrow they all will recognize they are also at huge loss and are badly suffocated and their wealth is plundered by US nato isreli mafia who used Saudi and rest of corrupt gulf monarchs as their proxies to serve their interests to grab the entire region and left the masses to face famine, poverty, illiteracy, chaos and terrorism. The miseries of Palestinians would be their future if this mafia allowed to be successful but Muslims majority at large is deprived of sanity. They will recognize truth when no one would be there for their rescue.

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Moosa

Apr 15, 2015 11:33am

@Santosh Menon what proof do u or anyone has that Iran is providing them weapons? its your word against mine. heresy. nothin else.

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KHALID SOHAIL SHAIKH

Apr 15, 2015 11:34am

Rebels are against elected government, therefore no need to state this is sectarian war. Sectarian war in Islam will be the end of unity and plus peace in Muslim countries. Killing will be started in streets, roads, housing schemes / compounds and especially educational places as well. World always love wars to make more money or extra income especially from poor countries. Poor countries are black skin masses and black can not live with peace, they hurt, harm, cheat and kill each other. White are intelligent, they live calm and sell ammunition to stupid nations. Any one can make the list of stupid type nations. They can not hide the mistakes.

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Anwar

Apr 15, 2015 11:35am

Iran has destroyed Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting militant hostile groups and US also supported these groups during war on terror. Iran is still supporting insurgency in Yemen.

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Ajnan

Apr 15, 2015 11:39am

Arms embargo on Houthis rebels is a positive step by United Nations Security Council and one can hope that this will discourage those behind the unrest in Yemen.

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Kamal Pasha.

Apr 15, 2015 12:05pm

Arms embargo should be on every nation who are involved in the Yemen conflicts.Why only Houthis, who are being repressed being minority in Yemen.

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shamsher

Apr 15, 2015 12:39pm

@Hisham So true..It is evident now how this world is operated...Forget justice in this world. We see in Bahrain and Yemen local people are rising for legitimate cause and how these arabs along with the US are trying so hard to crush them. Whereas in Syria, majority of the rebels are imported from all over the world and still they are openly provided with arm and there is no embargo....... Who cares for the people and justice

Recommend 0

Apr 15, 2015 12:48pm

This is another proof that UNSC is an unjust organization which is controlled by the United States; the supporter of Saudi Royals

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Adnan

Apr 15, 2015 12:51pm

@Santosh Menon yes. Through india's clandestine help of course. As before.

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Husain Jan

Apr 15, 2015 01:51pm

The resolution does not speak any thing about the cancelled elections in Yemen and about letting the people to decide their own future without any outside interference. No wonder that the vested interests are happy as they get their due share.

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Imran

Apr 15, 2015 05:53pm

Democracies, monarchies, and dictatorships all have been playing with their subjects. For centuries, the latter two have been suppressing legitimate voices. Now democracies have also taken turn to do the same with ordinary folks. All are trying to impose their version of system of rule where their interests are at stake. The policemen of the world have at times problems with dictatorships and sometimes with democracies e.g. Egypt.

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Zak

Apr 15, 2015 09:44pm

Doubt Houthis ever heard of UN and Ban ki Moon.

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Zak

Apr 15, 2015 09:45pm

The need of the hour is for pakistan to take the initiative for peace, in the region.

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Sanjeev

Apr 15, 2015 10:47pm

I don't think any side will give up due to paucity of arms.Soudis should remember that you do not need sophisticated weapons to attack your neighbor .

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Shabbir lakhani

Apr 16, 2015 12:18am

@Kabeer . You have underlined the truth. Well said. And the forces behind the easy passage of the resolution as you rightly discern.....US and European powers. Muslims should ponder upon the chaos and destruction and instead of unsubstantiated accusations pinpoint the major elements closeted with vested interests (western) .Finally its the lives of their bretheren at stake. Nobody cares about that. We should.

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Azmeen

Apr 16, 2015 05:16am

A good move.

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Asif

Apr 16, 2015 04:41pm

Here are the facts: - Not all Sunnis will support KSA's airstrikes but none of them will justify rebels. - All Shias will oppose KSA and try to justify houthi rebels. In today's world, it is very hard to find neutral opinions. We are all divided in Shia-Sunni sects and our opinions confirm this fact.

Recommend 0

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