Yemen: Escalation threatens fragile stability amid Red Sea attacks | United Nations

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg recognized that “for some – on both sides of the conflict – the appetite for a military escalation remains.” Briefing the Security Council today (9 Jul) Grundberg said, “We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah, resulting in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage. These were the first attacks on commercial vessels in over seven months. In response, Israeli air strikes have hit Sana’a earlier in the reporting period as well as the ports of Hudaydah, Ras Issa and Salif and a power station on Sunday.” He added, “Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country. The stakes for Yemen are simply too high.” He highlighted, “There has been a continuation of military activity in governorates such as Al Dhale’a, Al Jawf, Ma’rib, Ta’iz and Sa’dah. I am also concerned about troop movements towards Al Dhale’a, Ma’rib and Ta’iz. I recognise that for some – on both sides of the conflict – the appetite for a military escalation remains. A military solution, however, remains a dangerous illusion that risks deep ening Yemen’s suffering.” He stressed, “It is urgent to move forward as time is not on our side. The longer the conflict is drawn out, the more complex it becomes.” Turning to economy, Grundberg stated that across Yemen, “the little money people do have in their hands is either falling in value or literally falling apart.” Grundberg stressed, “A positive shift towards greater stability in the region would certainly be welcome and could help create an environment for Yemen to move forward — but this cannot be a precondition for change. Yemen must advance regardless.” He concluded by reiterating his call for the unconditional and immediate release “by Ansar Allah of all those arbitrarily detained from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions. The number of cases requiring urgent medical attention are increasing. They need access to medical assistance. They need to be home with their families. We will not let this issue drop. Our detained colleagues are not forgotten, not by me or my mission, nor by all of us in the UN working tirelessly for the sake of the Yemeni population.” According to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher the food security crisis in Yemen has been steadily accelerating since late 2023. “Today, more than 17 million people in Yemen are going hungry. That number could climb to over 18 million between September and February,” he said Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, stated, “We reaffirm that the success of any political approach to achieving peace and ending the Yemeni crisis requires addressing the roots of this crisis—particularly, the coup by the Houthi militias against the state, its constitutional institutions, the national consensus, and the aspirations of the Yemeni people—and therefore there is a need to stop the destructive approach of these militias destabilizing Yemen, the region, and the world.”


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