Yemen is facing the most serious threat of renewed large-scale war since the UN-mediated truce in 2022, the UN special envoy Hans Grundberg warned on Thursday. The United Nations also reported that more than half of the country’s population is in conditions of acute food insecurity.
The warning came after an escalation of hostilities between the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi group and the internationally recognized government of the country, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. This has heightened fears of a broader resumption of war and increased regional tensions.
Grundberg informed the Security Council that military activity on the front lines in Yemen has intensified. Recent Houthi attacks in the regions of Marib, Hadramaut, Mokha, and other areas have resulted in military and civilian casualties.
He noted that the renewed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden could further draw Yemen into a broader regional confrontation. Regional trade and energy flows are already under pressure due to the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where the shipping situation has worsened amid the war between the US and Israel against Iran.
Grundberg called on the parties to the conflict in Yemen to immediately de-escalate the situation and work towards a reliable ceasefire, emphasizing that attacks and threats to shipping, as well as cross-border attacks, must cease. He stated that the path to a negotiated settlement of the conflict remains possible and called on countries with influence over the parties to return Yemen to negotiations.
Humanitarian crisis and detainees
The deterioration of the security situation coincided with the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Head of the UN humanitarian service Tom Fletcher reported to the Council that more than half of the population is in conditions of acute food insecurity, while 6 million people are facing an emergency level of food shortages, approaching famine.
Grundberg and Fletcher called for the release of 73 UN staff detained by the Houthis, as well as employees of non-governmental organizations, representatives of civil society, and diplomatic missions. Grundberg also added that preparations for the release of more than 1,600 conflict-related detainees, agreed upon in May, are progressing slowly and could be derailed by further escalation.
On July 20, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade in the Red Sea targeting Saudi Arabia in response to what they called a Saudi siege of Yemen — an accusation that Riyadh denies. The Saudi-led coalition responded with airstrikes on targets in the port city of Hodeidah, which it said were Houthi military sites and posed a threat to commercial shipping.
Yemen has been in a state of conflict since the Houthis captured the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Although the UN-mediated truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities, it ended after six months. Since then, efforts to turn it into a lasting political settlement have stalled amid increasing regional tensions.
Source: The Straits Times
