Sanctions and intelligence co-operation needed after Houthi strikes, says UAE envoy

Terrorists can be beaten with international co-operation on sanctions and sharing information

Mohamed Abushahab, the UAE's deputy ambassador to the UN, urged countries to 'stop any behaviour that threatens international peace and security'. Pawan Singh / The National

Mohamed Abushahab, the UAE's deputy ambassador to the UN, on Wednesday called for more co-operation on intelligence sharing and imposing sanctions on terrorist groups following attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Abu Dhabi.

Mr Abushahab said last month’s missile and drone strikes on the Emirates by Houthi militants underscored the need for better international co-ordination.

“Recently, my country witnessed heinous terrorist attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against civilians and civilian infrastructure, a flagrant violation of international law,” Mr Abushahab told the UN Security Council.

“As such, we urge countries to co-ordinate, exchange information and impose international sanctions on terrorist groups to force them to stop any behaviour that threatens international peace and security.”

The UN’s top body has condemned the January 17 strike that killed three people and injured six others when Houthi projectiles hit a storage plant in Abu Dhabi, causing three tankers to explode.

The 15-nation council met on Wednesday to discuss the global fight against terrorism, focused on Al Qaeda, ISIS and the spread of armed extremism across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and beyond.

A report from UN experts this week found that extremists linked to ISIS and Al Qaeda were advancing in Africa, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and other parts of the turbulent Sahel region.

In Afghanistan, the return to power of the Taliban last year means “terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom there than at any time in recent history”, the experts said in a wide-ranging report.

In recent weeks, ISIS fighters attempted a brazen prison break in Syria, and a US special forces operation in north-western Syria led to the death of the group's leader Muhammad Al Mawla, also known as Abu Ibrahim Al Hashimi Al Qurayshi.

Mr Abushahab lauded the strike on Al Qurayshi and international “progress in the war against” ISIS, but said that its militants remained “dangerous”.

“Terrorists continue to exploit security and political gaps and exacerbate difficult humanitarian conditions to expand their influence,” Mr Abushahab said in New York.

Afghanistan was at risk of once again becoming a “hotbed of terrorism … threatening the stability of neighbouring countries”, he added.

The UAE and four other nations joined the UN’s top body for two-year terms beginning on January 1, meaning they can take part in meetings, vote on resolutions and help draft official statements.

This week, UAE ambassador Lana Nusseibeh vowed to push the council to take women’s rights more seriously.

Next month, when the UAE holds the council’s rotating presidency, it will host talks on violence against women during war and on bringing more women into peacekeeping missions to tackle the problem, she said.