The UN special envoy for Yemen sounds the alarm over a worsening economic and humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged country, which remains under a crippling Saudi-led siege, calling for a renewed cessation of attacks on Yemen by Riyadh and its coalition allies.
Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council that since the expiration of the six-month truce around seven weeks ago, Yemen has witnessed a further deterioration of the economic and humanitarian situations.
“Even though overall levels of violence have only increased slightly compared to the six-month truce period, in recent weeks we have seen a concerning uptick in incidents,” Grundberg said.
He said the situation is fragile, and that all parties need to urgently reach an agreement to renew the truce.
Grundberg further said he is engaging the parties on not only extending the truce but initiating discussions on a path toward “a more comprehensive settlement of the conflict.”
Asked about the obstacles, Grundberg did not elaborate, but stressed the need for discreet diplomacy.
“We are seeing challenges in how to frame issues related to the economic matters such as the payment of salaries, and also broader issues which have an implication on the more long-term settlement of the conflict,” he said.
The special envoy said that the international community and, more importantly, the Yemenis expect to see actionable commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
