Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
France has renewed its call for the UN Security Council to work towards the immediate and unconditional release of the Galaxy Leader ship and its crew, who have been held captive for over a year.
This call was made in a briefing by France’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jay Darmadehikari, during a Security Council session on Yemen.
He stated that the armed group has not ceased its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Darmadehikari added that despite resolutions 2722 and 2739 adopted by the council, he reiterated the Security Council’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Galaxy Leader ship and its crew, who have been held hostage for over a year.
France affirmed its commitment to Yemen’s stability and regional security, and called on Iran to cease its support for destabilizing activities in the Middle East. France will continue its commitment within the framework of the European Union’s Security and Defense Policy, the ASPIDES operation, to protect maritime security and freedom of navigation, in accordance with international law and in coordination with its partners.
He acknowledged with satisfaction the recent release of a UN staff member and two NGO members. However, dozens of local and international humanitarian workers remain arbitrarily detained in violation of international humanitarian law, as Tom Fletcher mentioned earlier.
Darmadehikari expressed deep concern about the allegations made against the detained individuals and called for their immediate release. These detentions should be added to the obstacles that hinder the delivery of humanitarian aid, in the context of increasing needs, especially in the face of the cholera epidemic. He urged the Houthis to do everything in their power without delay to enable humanitarian actors to vaccinate the most vulnerable groups and put an end to organized disinformation campaigns against humanitarian actors, who play a fundamental role for the benefit of the entire Yemeni people.
He said that food insecurity now affects all regions of Yemen. Projections indicate that more than one million additional people may need humanitarian assistance by 2025. The Houthis must stop taking Yemeni civilians hostage. Yemenis are the first victims of the restrictions they impose on humanitarian operations.
He called for ensuring the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid. The international community must remain mobilized to meet the needs of the civilian population.
