Russia and China have struck a “shocking” deal, effectively recognizing Yemen’s Houthi group as an international party for trade deals while the West classifies it as a terrorist organization.
So, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have reached an agreement with Russia and China to provide safe passage for ships, Bloomberg reports today, citing people familiar with the discussions. As the publication adds, in exchange for safe passage, Russia and China are likely to provide the Houthis with some political support, possibly in the UN Security Council, of which both countries are permanent members. However, the details of such support are unclear, Bloomberg reports.
What does this mean? That those trading companies that want to transport their goods safely across the Red Sea will prefer Russian and Chinese companies and transport vessels, unless they want to risk strikes or bypass Africa.
The Houthis have already made it clear that they will not attack Chinese or Russian ships. But Russia and China appeared to be seeking a more concrete agreement after the Houthis admitted they had misidentified some of the vessels. This happened with the True Confidence ship on March 6. This was the first time a Houthi drone attack resulted in casualties, killing three people. Although a Houthi spokesman said the ship was American, the ship’s owners denied any connection to the United States. The US company reportedly sold the vessel to the Liberian company just last month.
In another incident, Forbes noted, Houthi rockets exploded near a ship loaded with Russian oil, days after the Houthis said Russian ships could safely pass through the border.
Let us remind you that the Houthis are targeting ships associated with Israel, the US and the UK, but they are not limited to ships belonging only to these countries. They also target ships from all countries that sent ships to the US military operation. EUNAVFOR ASPIDESincluding Greece, which sent a frigate to the Red Sea Hydra.
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