by Paul Dakiki

The UN resolution voted by 14 to 15. Russia abstains. In addition to the arms embargo on the Houthi, sanctions will be imposed on rebel leaders. So far there have been 736 deaths, half of them civilian. The UN denounces attacks on hospitals and schools. Iran proposes a dialogue between all the components of Yemeni society, but it falls on deaf ears. An al Qaeda leader.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The UN Security Council yesterday imposed an arms embargo on the Houthi rebels, demanding that they withdraw from the territories conquered in the south of the country, which led to the flight of their president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, to Riyadh.

Among analysts there is skepticism about the value of the resolution: there is already a huge amount of weapons in the country - they say. Furthermore, Iran - suspected of supplying the Houthi Shia - has for years been under embargo and unable to arm the rebels.

The Security Council voted almost unanimously (14 of 15), with Russia abstaining. The Russian ambassador had requested that the embargo be applied on all the warring parties.

The rebels advance to the south, for over a month - from March 26 – is being countered by  a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies, which is bombing their positions and threatening an armed intervention by land.

Ra'ad Zeid Al Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has requested an investigation on the high number of civilian deaths, about half of the 736 victims so far recorded. Al-Hussein denounces that in many cases hospitals and schools are targeted.

The resolution also imposes sanctions on the leader of the Houthi, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, and Ahmed, son of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, including a ban on foreign travel and a freeze on their finances. The Houthis are allies of former President Saleh, who was forced from power in 2012. The Houthi are demanding greater representation and power within the state.

Shortly before the launch of the UN resolution, Iran had proposed a ceasefire and the opening of a dialogue between all the components of Yemeni society, in the presence of international facilitators.
The Houthi Supreme Revolutionary Committee has condemned the UN resolution, which they consider a support for the Saudi "aggression" and have convoked nationwide protests across the country.

In the struggle between Sunnis and Houthi, another group is regaining ground: al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Yesterday al Qaeda announced that one of its leaders, Ibrahim al-Rubaish, was killed in a "raid of the Crusaders," a US drone. Al-Rubaish was born in Saudi Arabia and had spent several years in the military prison at Guantanamo.

• YEMEN
• un
• sanctions
• saudi
• arabia
• houthi
• shiite
• sunni
• iran