Islamabad - Heinz Grundberg, the UN Special Representative for Yemen, has told the Security Council that there is a risk of resuming a large-scale war in the country, which is not in the interest of the world and The international community must stop it.
He says that since the beginning of this year, the affairs of Yemen have been going in a directionless direction, which must be corrected before reaching extreme deterioration.
He said this while briefing the members a day after the council meeting in the context of the drone attack on Israel by Yemen's Houthi rebels (Ansarullah) and the subsequent counter-attack by Israel.
Yemen has been fighting for 10 years between the government backed by the Saudi-led regional coalition and the Houthi rebels.
Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel
Over the past two years, there has been a large ceasefire in the country.
However, after the start of the war in Gaza, the effects of increasing tensions at the regional level have also affected Yemen, while the Houthi rebels are targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians.
Worrying stress
Heinz Grundberg told the council that the regional dimensions of the Yemeni conflict are becoming clearer and that tensions have reached new heights since last week.
Recent military activities in the region and ongoing attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea are of great concern.
Merchant ships are being sunk and damaged, civilians are being killed and the crew of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked in November, is still in custody while international trade is being disrupted.
He said that the United States and the United Kingdom are also targeting the military bases of the Houthis in Yemen.
Apart from the solution to this problem, there are no signs of reduction in tension at present which is a matter of concern.
Good news
He told the council that the situation on the war front in Yemen is also a cause for concern. Military preparations have increased in recent months, while clashes on multiple fronts have intensified. Although the current situation is much better than it was before the 2022 ceasefire, recent tensions and threats of a large-scale resumption of war indicate a serious deterioration in the situation.
The Special Representative said that the parties to the Yemeni conflict told him last night that they were ready to settle several issues in the banking and transport sectors, which was somewhat satisfactory in the current situation.
Demand for release of aid workers
Heinz Grundberg told members of the Security Council about the abduction of 13 UN staff members and dozens of officials from international and national NGOs, civil society, and private sector organizations by the Houthis. It's been two months. All these people are citizens of Yemen, including at least four women, and there is no information about all of them.
Four more individuals from the United Nations Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) and its Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) were also detained in 2021 and 2023 and remain in custody.
He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all these people from the Houthis and to avoid the arrest of the UN, NGOs, and civil society officials.
Concern over Hadida attack
Acting Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Aid Affairs, Joyce Soya also expressed concern over the current situation in Yemen and the region in her address to the Council.
He said that according to the Ministry of Health of the Houthis, nine people were killed and 83 injured as a result of the missile attacks carried out by Israel on Hodeidah. The lives of millions of Yemenis depend on the port of Hodeidah.
About 85 percent of the country's food comes through this port, which must remain open and functional.
Growing hunger, scarcity of resources
Joyce Soya said that the problems of food insecurity and food shortage in Yemen are becoming serious. Half of the country's children under the age of five are severely malnourished or malnourished.
Since January, the food-insecure population has increased from 51 percent to 38 percent.
In all Houthi-controlled areas, 10 percent of households depend on charity for food.
He said that aid organizations need large-scale financial resources to continue their activities, due to a shortage of which their work is being affected. It is estimated that during the first decade of this year, only 315,000 out of 2 million people could be provided with nutritional assistance.
The Under-Secretary-General has urged the Council to make every effort to maintain unity, de-escalate tensions, and support relief efforts.
