[01/07/2026 06:38]

NEW YORK – SABA
Yemen has reaffirmed its determination to combat terrorism and violent extremism, telling the UN General Assembly that addressing evolving security threats requires sustained international cooperation, stronger national institutions, and greater support for conflict-affected countries.

Presenting Yemen's statement during the General Assembly's debate on the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, President of the State Security Service Major General Mohammed Aydha said the Yemeni government remains firmly committed to eliminating terrorism in all its forms and rejects any attempt to associate extremist violence with a particular religion, nationality, civilization, or ethnic group.

He said years of conflict have created conditions that allow terrorist organizations to exploit instability, citing Yemen as a clear example. Since the Houthi takeover began in 2014, he said, the country has endured one of the world's worst humanitarian crises while facing persistent security threats.

Aydha accused the Houthis of continuing arbitrary detentions, saying their prisons hold large numbers of civilians, including women and children, as well as around 73 United Nations employees and dozens of staff members from non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, and diplomatic missions, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

He also warned that attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait have become a serious challenge to regional and global security. According to Aydha, Houthi forces have launched more than 180 attacks on vessels transiting international waterways, damaging dozens of ships and seizing others together with their crews. He further accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of supplying the group with weapons, drones, and equipment used in military production, noting that several shipments had been intercepted.

Describing terrorism as a shared global challenge, Aydha said no country—particularly one affected by conflict—can confront it alone. Despite the extraordinary circumstances facing Yemen, he said, the government continues to strengthen its counterterrorism capabilities through institutional reform and closer cooperation with regional and international partners.

Among the reforms highlighted were the consolidation of the country's intelligence services into a unified State Security Service and the establishment of a specialized counterterrorism agency to improve coordination and operational readiness.

Aydha also urged the international community to expand support for capacity-building programmes tailored to the needs and priorities of conflict-affected states. He warned that terrorist organizations, including the Houthis and al-Qaeda, are increasingly attempting to exploit emerging technologies, particularly unmanned aerial systems, posing new risks to regional and international security.

He praised Saudi Arabia for supporting the development of Yemen's security institutions through the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy and thanked the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism for its continued efforts to advance the implementation of the global counterterrorism strategy. He also expressed appreciation to Finland and Morocco for co-facilitating negotiations during the strategy's ninth review.

Concluding his address, Aydha said defeating terrorism requires stronger international partnerships built on effective coordination, information-sharing, and capacity-building while respecting the sovereignty of states and their national priorities. He reaffirmed Yemen's readiness to work with regional and international partners to advance collective efforts to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.

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