Panel of Experts: Hodeidah and Salif port facilities are used to unload large quantities of military equipment

The team of experts of the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on Yemen said that port facilities in the ports of Hodeidah and Salif (under Houthi control in western Yemen) are being used to unload large quantities of military equipment.

The team revealed in its new report, a copy of which was received by "Yemeni Youth Net", that 6 ships arrived at ports under Houthi control without obtaining clearance licenses from the United Nations Inspection and Verification Mechanism, indicating that the team is investigating the possible involvement of the specified ships in the illegal transfer of prohibited goods to the Houthis.

He explained that ships heading to ports under Houthi control are subject to inspection by the United Nations Verification Mechanism in Djibouti, and the mechanism is not responsible for granting final clearance permits for ships to continue on their way to Red Sea ports.

He said that since February 2023, all restrictions imposed (by the Arab coalition and the Yemeni government) on the import of goods to the Houthis have been lifted, with the exception of prohibited goods through ports under Houthi control, and that there has been a boom in the number of ships and the diversity of goods heading to these ports, but the mechanism has faced major challenges in financing and its sustainability in recent years.

He stated that the team's investigations revealed that various ships transporting prohibited or restricted goods are currently using documents showing that the ships are registered in Sri Lanka, explaining that a ship arrived at the port of Salif on 25 April 2024 and was reported to be flying the Sri Lankan flag, but the Sri Lankan authorities denied the existence of this registration.