UN Envoy to Yemen: Regional Escalation Undermines Opportunities for Political Solution

SadaNews - The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, stated on Tuesday that achieving a comprehensive ceasefire in the country remains a top priority to end the suffering that has persisted for years, warning that the increasing regional escalation deepens the mistrust among Yemeni parties and undermines chances for a political solution.

During a briefing at a UN Security Council session in New York, Grundberg urged the Yemeni parties not to bet on uncertain regional developments, but instead to focus on serious efforts to reach a sustainable political settlement.

He noted that UN efforts continue in coordination with regional and international actors to protect the peace process from collapse, emphasizing that Yemen can no longer bear further shocks after years of bloody conflict.

Regarding maritime tensions, the UN envoy stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in accordance with international law, considering the stability of waterways as an integral part of regional stability.

On the internal front, Grundberg expressed his deep concern over casualties during recent protests in the city of Mukalla, Hadhramaut province (east), calling on all parties to exercise restraint and to conduct a transparent investigation into those events.

British Call

For his part, the British representative to the Security Council joined international warnings, urging the Houthis not to drag Yemen into the broader conflict witnessed in the region, referring to the Israeli-American war against Iran.

The British representative called for prioritizing the interests of the Yemeni people and engaging in peace efforts, stressing that any military escalation linked to regional issues would only prolong the Yemeni crisis and complicate an already dire humanitarian situation.

Severe Crisis and Stagnant Funding

During the same session, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs painted a grim picture of living conditions in Yemen, revealing that half of Yemen’s population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid to survive.

The office launched an urgent appeal to the international community, announcing that it needs at least two billion dollars to secure basic life-sustaining needs in the upcoming period, warning that a lack of funding would deepen the humanitarian gap and increase the suffering of civilians facing the collapse of essential services and the economy.

The Security Council session comes at a sensitive time for Yemen, where economic and humanitarian crises intertwine with political stagnation, raising concerns that tensions in the Middle East may push the Yemeni file to the margins of international priorities or reignite conflict internally.

Source: Al Jazeera