Houthis To Spare Chinese & Russian Ships In Exchange For Political Support At The UN

According to reports from the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Russian and Chinese ships travelling via the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden will likely be allowed to pass through safely.

The conditions of this deal, made public during diplomatic negotiations in Oman, are that China and Russia will give the Houthis more political backing internationally, especially at the UN Security Council. The specifics of this backing are still unknown, but it might entail preventing resolutions that target the Yemen-based organisation.

The Houthis, who have been launching missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea since Israel and Hamas’ battle intensified, first promised safe passage to China and Russia in January.

The attacks, which were allegedly carried out in support of the Palestinian cause, have sparked worries and resulted in fatalities among sailors. Despite assurances, recent events, such as the attack on the True Confidence bulk carrier, demonstrated continued tensions and uncertainty in the region.

The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are vital waterways for international trade, processing large amounts of oil and container goods. Chinese and Russian maritime companies still use these waterways, but Western shipping companies have avoided the region because of security concerns.

China and Russia, Iran’s diplomatic and commercial allies, continue to have ties to the Houthi rebels, even though they continue to have a great deal of freedom from Tehran.

The Houthis, who seized control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014, have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition for years. They are classified as a terrorist organisation by the US and are not acknowledged by most other international countries, despite provisional ceasefires and peace negotiations with Saudi Arabia.

China and Russia have previously resisted denouncing the Houthi attacks in UN resolutions, citing concerns about the legitimacy of the US and UK’s retaliatory airstrikes.

While the Pentagon claims that Houthi strikes are decreasing in frequency, the group’s leadership is determined to expand their campaign, vowing to target ships in the Indian Ocean.

These events draw attention to the intricate geopolitical processes behind the Yemeni crisis and its consequences for global marine security.

Reference: BNNBloomberg, Times of Israel

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Source: Maritime Shipping News