Tawakkol Karman urges UN Security Council to prevent Yemen war

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman has called on the UN Security Council to take urgent action to prevent Yemen from sliding into a new, full-scale war. Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York, Karman identified the collapse of the state as the root cause of the Yemeni crisis and argued that sustainable peace requires the restoration of unified, sovereign state institutions subject to the rule of law.

Karman accused the Houthi militia of undermining state institutions since seizing Sana'a in 2014 through military force and human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and child recruitment. She also identified Iran as a primary provider of military and financial support to the Houthis, which she stated has prolonged the conflict. Furthermore, she criticized the internationally recognized government for weak governance and internal divisions, and noted that interventions by the Saudi-led coalition have deepened national fragmentation.

Karman warned that recent escalations, including Houthi attacks on maritime navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, pose a real threat to international trade and global supply chains. She urged the Security Council to pressure all parties to cease attacks on civilians and called for a comprehensive political process led by Yemenis to rebuild national sovereignty.