Yemen: UN envoy warns of threat of return to ‘all-out war’ as regional tensions escalate
“The development trajectory in Yemen since the beginning of the year has been heading in the wrong direction and If left unresolved, a critical point may be reached.,” He speak.
Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition have been fighting the Houthi rebels, also known as Ansar Allah, since 2014. The Houthis also began attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea – a vital route for global trade – after war broke out in Gaza last October.
Increasing area size
Mr Grundberg said the regional dimension of the Yemen conflict was “increasingly evident” and that “the trajectory of escalation reached a new and dangerous level last week”.
He gave the briefing a day after the Council met to discuss the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv in Israel on July 19 and Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Hudaydah Port in Yemen and its oil and power facilities on July 20.
‘No sign of cooling down’
The special envoy said he was “deeply concerned about recent military activities in the region”.
He also expressed deep concern about continued focus on international shipping in and around the Red Sea, adding that recent developments show the threat is increasing in both scope and accuracy.
Commercial shipping was sunk and damaged, civilians were killed, crews of Galactic Leader – a cargo ship hijacked in November – remains arbitrarily detained and international trade has been disrupted.
The United States and the United Kingdom also continued to carry out airstrikes on military targets in territory controlled by Ansar Allah.
“It is alarming that there is no sign of the situation cooling down.“Let alone a solution,” Mr. Grundberg said. “These latest developments demonstrate the real danger of a devastating escalation across the region.”
Conflict along the front lines
Meanwhile, the situation along the front lines inside Yemen also remains a concern, he added. Recent months have seen an increase in military preparations and build-up, while clashes have been reported this month along some front lines.
“While the level of violence has been relatively contained compared to the period before the 2022 ceasefire, the recent escalation, accompanied by continued threats of a return to all-out war, shows how unstable the situation is.”
Despite concerns about the overall trajectory in Yemen, Mr. Grundberg said he was pleased that The parties informed him last night that they had agreed on a roadmap towards measures relating to the banking and transport sectors..
Care for incarcerated employees
The envoy also reminded the ambassadors that Nearly two months have passed since Ansar Allah arbitrarily detained 13 UN staff members. and dozens of personnel from international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and private sector organizations.
All of them are Yemeni nationals, at least four of them women, and there is no information about their whereabouts or status. Four other staff members from the UN human rights office, OHCHRand its cultural institutions, UNESCOhave also been held since 2021 and 2023 respectively.
Mr. Grundberg reiterated his call for their immediate and unconditional release, and asked Ansar Allah not to detain any more UN, NGO and civil society personnel.
Hudaydah is the ‘lifeline’ of millions
Joyce Msuya, Acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also expressed concern about recent developments in Yemen and the region.
She said according to Houthi in fact Ministry of Health, Nine people were killed and 83 injured in airstrikes on Hudaydah..
She described Hudaydah Port as a “lifeline” for millions of people in Yemen. About 85 percent of food supplies come through the port, which “must always be open and functioning.”
Threats to humanitarians
Msuya also mentioned the detention of UN and other staff, as well as broader threats to humanitarian operations in Yemen.
“Along with the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation targeting the international community, the arrests have caused fear and anxiety spread among humanitarian workers,” she said.
She warned that without the necessary guarantees of safety and security, as well as respect for principled humanitarian action, “We cannot operate at the scale required.“ .
Hunger increased, financial shortages
The situation is particularly dire in the context of rising food insecurity and malnutrition, with a staggering one in two children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition or stunting.
Since January, food insecurity has increased from 51 percent of the population to 58 percent, an overall increase of 14 percent. Nearly one in ten households in Houthi-controlled areas rely on handouts for food.
Humanitarian organisations also need to be fully supported in their work, Msuya said, but “low funding levels continue to hamper our work”. As a result, they were only able to reach 315,000 people with nutrition assistance in the first quarter of the year, out of a targeted two million.
She called on the Council to “do everything in its power to maintain unity, de-escalate tensions and support the humanitarian response in Yemen”.
