AL-MUKALLA: Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council and political parties have hailed a 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 sanctioned individuals and businesses on Tuesday, sparking celebration among Yemenis, particularly the former president’s loyalists.
A decade ago, the UN Security Council sanctioned Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years before being deposed in 2011 following Arab Spring-inspired protests, and his son Ahmed, commander of the elite Republic Guards and later Yemen’s ambassador to the UAE, for impeding political transition in Yemen and supporting the Houthis during their expansion across the country.
In late 2017, Saleh switched sides and launched a military uprising against the Houthis in Sanaa, which ended days after he was killed.
The Yemeni government recently asked the UN sanctions committee to waive sanctions on Saleh and his son, who lives in the UAE.
Yemeni government officials and political party leaders were among those who applauded the UN committee’s decision.
Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, the former president’s nephew 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 its sanctions against the two individuals.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the (presidential) Leadership Council for all of their efforts, as well as to 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 to express appreciation to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and to rally Yemenis to fight the Houthis.
Former Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmer, who backed anti-Saleh rallies in 2011, praised the UN decision in a post on X on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz, chief of staff of the Yemeni army, and Sultan Al-Barakani, the parliamentary speaker, also expressed delight at the move.
This comes as the US Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions on two people and four firms headquartered in China and Yemen for helping the Houthi militia acquire components for weapons used in its attacks on ships.
“The Houthis have sought to exploit key jurisdictions like the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and Hong Kong in order to source and transport the components necessary for their deadly weapons systems,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
Sanctions were imposed on Ahmed Khaled Yahya Al-Shahare and Maher Yahya Muhammad Mutahar Al-Kinai, while Al-Shahari United Corp. Ltd, Guangzhou Alshahari United Corp. Ltd, Hongkong Alshahari United Corp. Ltd, and Yemen Telecommunication Asset Co. for Information Technology were also blacklisted.
In response to Houthi attacks on ships in international shipping lanes, the US led a coalition of marine task forces to provide protection, designated the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, imposed sanctions on firms and individuals who assisted the militia in obtaining weapons, and launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
