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UN Security Council Orders Final Two-Month Drawdown of Yemen’s Hudaydah Mission

The decision responds to Houthi restrictions that left the mission unable to carry out its mandate.

Overview

  • Adopting resolution 2813 (2026), the Council voted 13–0 with 2 abstentions by China and Russia to extend UNMHA only through 31 March 2026.
  • The drawdown requires cessation of UNMHA operations, withdrawal of personnel and assets, and transition of any residual functions to the UN Special Envoy for Yemen.
  • UNMHA will begin liquidation on 1 April 2026, ending the permanent UN presence in Hudaydah after seven years.
  • The United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark cited Houthi obstruction and arbitrary detentions in backing closure, with calls for the immediate release of detained UN staff.
  • Russia and China cautioned that a rapid exit could unsettle a fragile situation, emphasizing UNMHA’s stabilizing role linked to the Stockholm Agreement and Red Sea port access.