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Security Council Approves Deployment of International Force to Monitor Cease-Fire in Yemen

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Security Council approved the deployment of a small international force to monitor a lasting cease-fire in Yemen, with a temporary cease-fire to go into effect for 48 hours at midnight. The vote was 15-0, with some delegates expecting the force to be composed of several dozen military officers from Arab countries, including Jordan and Oman, as well as a few from the United States and France. This development represents a small but significant political victory for the Clinton Administration, which is seeking to have the United Nations encourage regional governments to settle local disputes themselves.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Security Council approved the possible deployment of a small international force to monitor a lasting cease-fire in Yemen, with a temporary cease-fire to go into effect for 48 hours at midnight.
  • The force is expected to be composed of several dozen military officers from Arab countries, including Jordan and Oman, as well as a few from the United States and France.
  • The Clinton Administration is seeking to have the United Nations encourage regional governments to settle local disputes themselves, rather than resorting to the involvement of the United Nations.
  • The cease-fire is seen as a potential breakthrough in the civil war in Yemen, which has been led by Madeleine K. Albright, the chief United States delegate, to be "an impenetrable mess".
  • The Security Council has avoided the issue of putting together another observer force under United Nations command, which is currently deployed in 70,000 troops at an annual cost of $3 billion.
  • The International Red Cross has announced the sending of two relief ships to Aden, one carrying equipment to restore the public water supply and the other loaded with vehicles and medical supplies.
  • The conservative northern and socialist southern regions of Yemen have voted to merge into one nation with a combined population of about 13 million people, but have been at odds politically and financially.
  • A major stumbling point in achieving a lasting cease-fire is how to sustain it long enough to allow both sides to work out their differences.

Statistics:

  • 15-0 vote by the Security Council in favor of the deployment of a small international force to monitor a lasting cease-fire in Yemen
  • 48 hours duration of the temporary cease-fire
  • 70,000 United Nations peacekeepers currently deployed in political hot spots around the world at an annual cost of $3 billion
  • $3 billion annual cost of maintaining UN peacekeeping operations
  • 400,000 residents of Aden without electric power and water due to the siege
  • 13 million people in the combined population of Yemen, split between conservative northern and socialist southern regions
  • 6 cease-fires since the Security Council called for a halt in fighting on June 1

Sources:

  • The New York Times, "Security Council Approves Force to Monitor Cease-Fire in Yemen"
  • United Nations Security Council Resolution 694

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