UAE letter to Security Council… Will the International Community act to counter Houthi terrorism in the Red sea?

The United Arab Emirates has called on the international community to intervene to release the Rawabi ship that was hijacked by the Houthi terrorist militia.

In a letter addressed to the Security Council today, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates informed the Security Council that the hijacked ship Rawabi is carrying medical aid and equipment for the field hospital in Socotra Island.

The UAE delegate said: “The crew of the Rawabi includes 11 members of various nationalities, demanding the immediate release of the ship and its crew”.

The UAE delegate added that the hijacking of the Rawabi is not the first incident of the Houthis in the Red Sea, as the Houthi militia had previously intercepted and detained at least three merchant ships.

“The Houthi militia targeted 13 merchant ships with boat bombs and mines”, she said, adding that Houthi piracy is contrary to international law.

The UAE delegate explained that Houthi piracy raises real concerns about freedom of navigation, its security and international trade in the Red Sea.

Nusseibeh said the Houthi militia continued to unlawfully detain the hijacked vessel and its crew in Saïg after it was abducted using force and to suspend the operation of the “automatic identification system” aboard the vessel 18 nautical miles from Salif.

The UAE protest letter also said: “The ship Rawabi was intercepted and hijacked while traveling on an international shipping route, on its way from the island of Socotra in Yemen to the port of Jizan in Saudi Arabia. The Rawabi cargo was a civilian equipment carried out by a Saudi company and used in a Saudi field hospital. The crew of the ship consisted of 11 sailors of different nationalities; 7 Indians, one Ethiopian, one Indonesian, one Filipino and one Myanmar”.