On 9 October, the Security Council met to discuss the situation in Yemen.
“In the past few weeks, Yemen has slid back into full-scale war, with hostilities spreading across multiple frontlines,” said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen.
Following Ansar Allah’s advances on Mokha and the coast along the Bab al-Mandab, intense fighting has continued in the highlands west and south of Taiz city, and across into Lahj.
Earlier this week, the Government launched a large-scale counter-offensive and has since reported retaking areas around the Bab al-Mandab. Fighting has also intensified in Marib, al-Jawf, and Hajjah and Ansar Allah has carried out deadly attacks against civilian and energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
“I echo the Secretary-General’s condemnation, and repeat my call on Ansar Allah to cease these attacks.”
While the situation in Yemen remains highly fluid, one fact is clear: "civilians, especially women and children, are once again bearing the brunt of escalating violence, at a time when Yemen has been ranked by the International Monetary Fund as the world’s poorest country,” he said.
“Ongoing instability in the Middle East continues to impact dynamics in Yemen, while developments in Yemen in turn reverberate across the region,” he continued.
Ansar Allah’s threats against Saudi-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea undermine the freedom of navigation of every country.
“These threats are becoming enmeshed with the broader confrontation over control of maritime trade routes and the stresses on the international energy market,” he said.
While military pressure can strengthen political leverage, war and diplomacy are not mutually exclusive.
“Ultimately, gains on the battlefield cannot substitute for the negotiations that will be required to settle the conflict,” he said.
Welcoming the release by Ansar Allah of one United Nations detainee as a positive step, he said that 72 colleagues remain detained, and meaningful progress towards their release has yet to be made. “Their release is especially urgent,” he said.
