LONDON: The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council on Thursday urged the international community to form a decisive alliance to restore security, stability and state institutions in his country, which risks becoming a permanent hub for transnational terrorism.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi described what was happening Yemen not just as an internal crisis but “a test of the credibility of the international system,” citing the Houthis’ decade-long control and their use of starvation and maritime routes as tools of coercion.
“The Houthis are no longer a remote rebel group,” he said. “They’re an active terrorist organization armed with advanced Iranian weaponry, from ballistic missiles and drones to naval mines and cluster munitions.”
Al-Alimi highlighted the Houthis’ destabilizing activity regionally, including drug trafficking and experimentation with military technologies, framing them as part of “a project to redraw the map of Iranian influence in the region.”
He warned that tolerating the group could “leave the Red Sea permanently hostage to this terrorism.”
He called for immediate action, while stressing that Yemen’s legitimate and internationally recognized government stands ready for an inclusive peace.
But he said the world has to act collectively and decisively to “impose peace” and liberate the country from militia control.
Al-Alimi also paid tribute to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, noting their role in preventing Yemen’s collapse and providing economic support amid severe financing constraints.
“They’ve presented a model of strategic partnership based on development, and the world should adopt this model, not merely observe it,” he said.
Al-Alimi reaffirmed Yemen’s support for the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution, urging other UN member states to recognize Palestine and defend its people’s dignity amid the war in Gaza.
He condemned the exploitation of the cause by militias and their backers, which he said has only brought isolation and devastation.
Concluding his address, Al-Alimi framed his country’s struggle as a global issue. “Leaving Yemen prey to extortion and terrorism opens the door to more victims and strikes at the credibility of this institution and its founding principles,” he said.
