UN Sanctions on Yemen

The UN sanctions regime on Yemen was created by Security Council Resolution 2140 (2014), adopted unanimously on 26 February 2014. It established a sanctions committee (the 2140 Committee) and a Panel of Experts to monitor implementation. The original measures were targeted asset freezes and travel bans against individuals or entities designated for engaging in acts threatening the peace, security, or stability of Yemen, including obstructing the political transition that followed the 2011 uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The regime was significantly expanded by Resolution 2216 (2015), adopted on 14 April 2015 as the Houthi (Ansar Allah) advance on Aden intensified. Resolution 2216 imposed a targeted arms embargo prohibiting the supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to designated individuals and entities, including former president Saleh and Houthi leaders Abdulmalik al-Houthi and Abdul Khaliq al-Houthi. It also demanded that the Houthis withdraw from seized territory and relinquish captured arms.

Initial designations under Resolution 2216 included Saleh and senior Houthi commanders. The Panel of Experts publishes annual reports documenting violations, including missile and drone components reaching the Houthis, illicit oil revenue, and humanitarian access obstructions.

The regime has been renewed annually, typically each February. In Resolution 2624 (2022), the Council expanded the arms embargo to apply to Ansar Allah (the Houthi movement) as a whole, rather than only listed individuals — a notable change pushed by the UAE following Houthi attacks on Abu Dhabi.

The sanctions are distinct from unilateral measures imposed by the United States (including the 2024 redesignation of Ansar Allah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group), the EU, and the UK. Enforcement gaps — particularly maritime interdiction in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden — remain a persistent finding of the Panel of Experts.