Al-Mukalla: Yemen's internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council and political parties have welcomed the UN decision to lift sanctions against former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son.
The UN Security Council's Yemen Sanctions Committee removed both men from its list of banned individuals and businesses on Tuesday, sparking celebrations in Yemen, particularly among loyalists of the former president.
A decade ago, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years before being ousted in 2011 following Arab Spring-inspired protests, and his son Ahmed, commander of the elite Republican Guards and later Yemen's ambassador to the UAE. Supporting the Houthis during the political transition in Yemen and expansion across the country.
In late 2017, Saleh switched sides and launched a military coup against the Houthis in Sanaa, which ended days after his assassination.
The Yemeni government recently asked the UN sanctions committee to lift sanctions on Saleh and his son, who live in the UAE.
Yemeni government officials and political party leaders were among those who praised the UN committee's decision.
Tarek Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, nephew of the former president and former commander of his bodyguards who is also a PLC member, praised the Presidential Council, Saudi Arabia and the UAE for persuading the UN committee to lift sanctions against the two men.
“I would like to thank the (presidential) leadership council for all their efforts as well as our brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” he said.
According to the official news agency, PLC member Othman Mujalli contacted Ahmed to congratulate him as well as express his appreciation to Saudi Arabia and the UAE and to rally Yemenis to fight the Houthis.
Former Vice President Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who supported the anti-Saleh protests in 2011, praised the UN decision in a post on X on Thursday.
Yemeni army chief Lt. Gen. Saghir bin Aziz and Parliamentary Speaker Sultan Al Barqani also expressed their happiness over this move.
The US Treasury Department announced sanctions on Wednesday against two individuals and four firms headquartered in China and Yemen for helping the Houthi militia obtain weapons used in attacks on ships.
“The Houthis have sought to exploit key jurisdictions such as the PRC (People's Republic of China) and Hong Kong to source and transport materials needed for their lethal weapons systems,” said Brian Nelson, the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. In a statement.
The sanctions were imposed on Ahmed Khaled Yahya Al-Shahare and Maher Yahya Muhammad Mutahar Al-Kinai, while Al-Shahari United Corporation Limited, Guangzhou Alshahari United Corporation Limited, Hong Kong Alshahari United Corporation Limited, and Yemen Telecommunications Asset Company for information. Technology has also been blacklisted.
In response to Houthi attacks on ships in international shipping lanes, the United States led a coalition of maritime task forces to provide security, designated the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, imposed sanctions on firms and individuals assisting the militia in obtaining weapons, and launched Attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
