AL-MUKALLA: Yemen's internationally recognized presidential council and political parties welcomed the UN decision to lift sanctions against former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son.
The UN Security Council's Yemen Sanctions Committee removed the two men from its list of sanctioned individuals and businesses on Tuesday, prompting celebrations among Yemenis, particularly those loyal to the former president.
Ten years ago, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Saleh, who ruled Yemen for 33 years before being ousted in 2011 following Arab Spring-inspired protests, and his son Ahmed, commander of the elite Republican Guard and later Yemeni ambassador to the UAE, for defending political transformation in Yemen and support for 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 drop 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, nephew of the former president and former commander of his bodyguards, who is also a member of the PLC, praised the presidential council, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for convincing 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 their efforts and also 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 and also express his appreciation to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and to rally Yemenis in the fight against the Houthis.
Former Vice President Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmer, who supported the anti-Salih rally in 2011, praised the UN decision in a post on X on Thursday.
Lieutenant General Sagheer bin Aziz, Chief of General Staff of the Yemeni Army, and Sultan Al-Barakani, Speaker of the Parliament, also expressed their happiness at the move.
The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday announced sanctions against two people and four companies based in China and Yemen for helping Houthi militias obtain parts for weapons used in attacks on ships.
“The Houthis sought to use key jurisdictions such as the PRC (People's Republic of China) and Hong Kong to acquire and transport components necessary for their lethal weapons systems,” said Treasury Assistant Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson. in the statement.
For information, 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, Hong Kong Alshahari United Corp. Ltd and Yemen Telecommunication Asset Co. The technology was also blacklisted.
In response to Houthi attacks on ships in international shipping lanes, the U.S. led a coalition of naval forces to provide protection, designated Houthi militias as a terrorist organization, imposed sanctions on companies and individuals who helped the militias acquire weapons, and launched attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen.
