[21/05/2025 01:30]

BRUSSELS-SABA
The European Union (EU) reaffirmed its support for the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), the government and Yemeni people amid current difficult circumstances. It also confirmed its support for the comprehensive reforms plan, achieving the inclusive and permanent peace, is commitment to respect Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence and its territorial integrity.

The EU strongly condemned, in a statement, the threats from the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militias and their random attacks on international maritime navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as these attacks directly threaten regional peace and stability, global trade, freedom of navigation as a global public good and the already deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen.

It reiterated it call to revive peace efforts in Yemen, affirming its strong support for the UN mediation and regional initiatives aimed at achieving a sustainable ceasefire in Yemen, halting attacks in the Red Sea and bringing the parties back to serious negotiations to reach a comprehensive political solution that addresses the political, economic, and security dimensions of the conflict.

The EU expressed its deep concern about the deterioration of the economic situation in Yemen, characterized by rising inflation, a continuous decline in the value of the currency, a troubling banking crisis.

It also expressed its willingness to support the government in developing a unified, inclusive, sustainable and economically sound governance to combat corruption, enhance accountability, improve revenue collection, drive the re-unification of the banking system and alleviate humanitarian risks.

The EU called on the international community, particularly United Nations agencies, international financial institutions and donors to coordinate their efforts on the ground to prevent further deterioration and the risk of state institutions collapsing.

It expressed deep concern over the ongoing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, indicating that 19.5 million people (60 percent of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

It stated that there are at least 9.6 million of women and girls on this humanitarian aid and protection. Meanwhile there are 17.1 million people are facing severe food insecurity, more than 4.8 million internally displaced people and that 2.3 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, representing 35 percent of cholera cases worldwide.

The EU said that "the ongoing military escalation, the increasingly deteriorating of work environment and the continuous interventions in neutral humanitarian aid across Yemen, including the arbitrary arrests carried out by the Houthis, are harming international efforts to assist the Yemeni people, in addition to the unprecedented decrease in international funding"
The EU voiced its strong condemnation of the continued arbitrary arrests by the Houthis of local staff affiliated with UN agencies, NGOs, and diplomatic missions, reiterating the urgent call for their immediate and unconditional release.

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