Region reacts with outrage to Houthi hijacking of UAE ship off Yemen

A picture taken on March 20, 2021 shows the port of Yemen’s Red Sea coastal city of Hodeida, around 230 kilometers west of the capital Sanaa. (AFP)

• The ship was seized shortly before midnight on Sunday in waters near the port city of Hodeidah, according to the Arab coalition
• Militia’s actions condemned as a war crime that breaches international law and threatens freedom of navigation and regional security

LONDON: The reported hijacking of a UAE cargo ship off the coast of Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi militia drew widespread condemnation across the region on Monday.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition said the ship was seized shortly before midnight on Sunday near the port city of Hodeidah. Coalition spokesman Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the ship, the Rawabi, was on a naval mission from the Yemeni island of Socotra to the Saudi port of Jazan, carrying equipment that had been used for a Saudi field hospital on the island.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemned the hijacking, describing the attack as a criminal act that obstructs the freedom of maritime and commercial navigation, as guaranteed by international laws and treaties, and could disrupt humanitarian aid and other relief efforts to help the Yemeni people.
The Arab Interior Ministers Council said the hijacking constitutes a war crime and stressed the importance of standing firm against the actions of the Houthi militia “which presents, day after day, clear evidence of its aggressive behavior and its endeavors to destabilize regional security and stability.”
The Arab Parliament, the legislative body of the Arab League, said that the hijacking represents a flagrant violation of international laws and norms, and warned of the threat the actions of the Houthis pose to freedom of maritime navigation and global trade in the Bab Al-Mandab strait and the southern Red Sea.
It described the incident as a dangerous development that threatens the economy and international trade and added: “The targeting of vital facilities and global transport routes is a war crime, which requires an immediate and firm international stance.”
The Arab Parliament reiterated the importance of an absolute commitment to international resolutions and charters, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
Nayef Al-Hajraf, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, also condemned the incident and called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and take a firm stance toward the Houthis’ hostile practices.
He stressed that GCC member states would support the UAE in all the measures it will take against this brutal attack, and said the regional bloc “rejects any impediment to the movement of ships and tankers, which represents a criminal act and a war crime.”
Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalek said only strong and firm deterrents will halt the actions of the Houthis. The government “will remain committed to working with all our partners to combat this piracy and terrorism by all means,” he added.
Yemen’s Foreign Ministry said: “This violation requires the international community to stand up to its responsibilities toward these irresponsible terrorist behaviors by the Houthi militias.”
It also pledged support for all measures the Arab coalition forces take in responding to the hijacking in a way that protects the security and safety of international navigation and global energy security.
Authorities in Bahrain said the incident demonstrated the Houthis’ determination to destabilize regional security and stability. They called on the international community to condemn the dangerous terrorist act and put pressure on the militia to immediately release the ship and its crew.
Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan also strongly condemned the attack as a threat to maritime navigation and a flagrant violation of international law, and called for the ship to be released immediately so that it can resume its journey.