UN Extends Yemen Mission as Red Sea Tensions Escalate

The Security Council on Monday renewed the mandate of the UN mission in Yemen’s key port city of Hudaydah, as regional tensions rise and international concern grows over recent Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Adopted unanimously, the resolution extending the UN Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) until 28 January 2026 underscores the mission’s critical role in maintaining fragile stability amid signs of renewed military escalation and deepening humanitarian need.

The resolution—2786 (2025)—reaffirms the Council’s support for the 2018 Stockholm Agreement, including the ceasefire in the Houthi-controlled port city and the demilitarisation of its docks, where most of Yemen’s imports and vital aid shipments pass through.

The resolution also signals a growing debate over the mission’s future, requesting the Secretary-General to submit a review by November to enhance coordination and coherence of UN operations, “bearing in mind challenges” that have directly impeded UNMHA’s capacity to deliver.

“The Security Council… expresses its intention to review the full range of options for UNMHA’s mandate, including assessing the future viability and sunsetting of the mission, and make any necessary adjustments to gain efficiencies and reduce costs, or otherwise, as may be required to UN operations in Hudaydah by developments on the ground, including inter alia a durable nationwide ceasefire,” the resolution noted.

UNMHA was established in 2019 to support implementation of the Stockholm Agreement between the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah (the Houthis), which sought to prevent major conflict over the region.

The mission monitors the ceasefire, facilitates redeployments, and supports de-escalation through liaison mechanisms between the parties.

While the military situation remains tenuously stable on the ground, tensions are rising on multiple fronts.

According to a letter from the Secretary-General to the 15-member Council in June, a growing number of ceasefire violations—averaging over 100 per day between June 2024 and May 2025—highlight the region’s fragile state.

Government-aligned forces have fortified positions in anticipation of a possible offensive on the city, while Houthi units have increased infiltration attempts and public mobilisation, including military-style youth camps in areas they control.

Compounding the situation, Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea have intensified. On 8 July, the commercial vessel Eternity C was sunk, killing several crew members and leaving others missing. This followed the sinking of the Magic Seas vessel two days earlier.

In a statement, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg condemned the attacks, calling them violations of international maritime law and warning they risk serious environmental and geopolitical fallout.

He called on Ansar Allah to cease attacks that risk escalating tensions in and around Yemen.

“[He urges them] to build on the cessation of hostilities with the United States in the Red Sea and to provide durable guarantees to the region and the wider international community, ensuring the safety of all those using this critical waterway,” the statement noted.

Within Hudaydah itself, UNMHA faces significant constraints.

The Secretary-General’s June letter details restrictions by Houthi authorities on UN patrols to critical Red Sea ports—Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Issa.

Damage from repeated airstrikes, including by the US and Israel in response to Houthi attacks, has left key port infrastructure partially inoperable, disrupting fuel, food, and medical imports.

With Hudaydah responsible for 70 per cent of Yemen’s commercial imports and 80 per cent of humanitarian deliveries, the stakes are high.

Meanwhile, a new round of polio vaccinations is underway in government-controlled areas of southern Yemen amid mounting concerns over the continued spread of the virus.

From 12 to 14 July, health workers deployed across 12 governorates to curb the outbreak of the variant type 2 poliovirus.

The campaign, led by Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health with support from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), comes as 282 cases have been reported since 2021, with environmental surveillance confirming ongoing transmission.

“The campaign is essential to interrupt transmission and protect every child from the debilitating effects of polio,” said Ferima Coulibaly-Zerbo, acting WHO Representative in Yemen.

UNICEF’s Peter Hawkins echoed the urgency, warning of the “imminent threat” to unvaccinated children if immunisation gaps persist.

“But through vaccination, we can keep our children safe,” he said.