Entesaf Condemns the UN Security Council Statement on the Escalation in Yemen

On Sep 23, 2026

Entesaf Organization for Women and Child Rights has condemned the contents of the statement issued by the United Nations Security Council on September 18 regarding the escalation in Yemen, describing it as reflecting a clear imbalance in addressing the suffering of Yemeni civilians and the ongoing violations against them.

In a statement obtained by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the Organization noted that the Security Council statement focused primarily on attacks attributed to Sana’a against Saudi Arabia, while Saudi aggression against Yemen continues, including airstrikes and shelling targeting civilians and civilian objects in several provinces, particularly Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, resulting in deaths and injuries, including among women and children.

The Organization explained that the Security Council statement condemned Yemen’s exercise of the right to self-defense and referred to attacks against Saudi civilian infrastructure and energy facilities, while explicitly affirming Saudi Arabia’s “inherent right” to self-defense in accordance with international law.

Entesaf stressed that the right to self-defense is not an exclusive right of one state over another. Article 51 of the United Nations Charter provides that the “inherent right of individual or collective self-defence” remains applicable when an armed attack occurs, until the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.

The Organization stated that after more than 12 years of ongoing aggression and blockade, and amid the continued military operations, airstrikes, and shelling on Yemeni territory to this day, Yemen has the right to invoke the principle of self-defense in accordance with applicable rules of international law, while emphasizing that this does not, in turn, justify the targeting of civilians or civilian objects by any party.

The Organization stressed that Saudi aggression has not ceased to this day. In recent hours, Saudi aircraft carried out 19 airstrikes against the provinces of Taiz, Al-Jawf, and Marib, while Saada witnessed missile and artillery shelling that struck populated areas, resulting in civilian casualties.

Entesaf stated that the Security Council’s approach to the escalation should not be limited to condemning attacks by Yemen against Saudi Arabia while leaving the crimes and violations suffered by Yemen for 12 years without equivalent treatment in terms of condemnation, investigation, and accountability. The Organization emphasized that the protection of civilians is a binding principle for all parties and must not become a selective standard linked to the identity of the state or the party affected.

The Organization further noted that international humanitarian law requires all parties to respect the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants, prohibits the targeting of civilians and civilian objects, and requires all necessary precautions to be taken to avoid civilian casualties.

It stated that Saudi airstrikes against Yemen targeting homes, markets, residential areas, and civilian facilities, and the resulting killing and injury of women and children, require investigation and accountability and cannot be justified merely by invoking the right to self-defense.

The Organization warned that the continuation of Saudi aggression, airstrikes, shelling, and blockade increases the risks facing women and children, threatens their fundamental rights to life, security, and physical safety, and contributes to further displacement and the deterioration of humanitarian conditions. It stressed that references to the suffering of Yemeni civilians in a Security Council statement must be accompanied by practical measures to ensure their protection, rather than remaining limited to expressions of concern.

Entesaf called on the Security Council and the United Nations to fulfill their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, adopt consistent standards in addressing violations, investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and hold those responsible accountable without selectivity, while giving special priority to the protection of women and children, as they are among the groups most affected by the Saudi aggression.

The Organization also called for an end to the Saudi aggression and the lifting of the blockade imposed on Yemen for 12 years, an end to the targeting of civilians and civilian objects, guarantees for the safe, rapid, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and an end to the factors that have exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe, in a manner that guarantees the Yemeni people’s fundamental rights to life, security, and dignity.