Houthi rebel fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against the US strikes on Yemen outside Sanaa (AP)
Wed, 16 Oct, 2024
Edith M Lederer,
Associated Press
Yemen risks being dragged further into the military escalation in the Middle East that keeps intensifying and could spiral out of control, the UN special envoy for the Arab world’s poorest nation said Tuesday.
Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council that regrettably Yemen is part of the escalation — and he warned that repeated attacks on international shipping by its Houthi rebels “have significantly increased the risk of an environment disaster” in the Red Sea.
Both Mr Grundberg and the UN’s acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged the Iranian-backed Houthis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which the rebel group began to support fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas after its October 7 attack in Israel that sparked Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.Now, like many in the Middle East, (Yemen's) hopes for a brighter future are falling under the shadow of potentially catastrophic regional conflagration
The UN officials also demanded the release of dozens of UN personnel, staff of non-governmental organisations and diplomatic missions, and members of civil society, most detained since June.
The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of the capital Sanaa and most of the north.
Hopes for peace talks vanished after the October 7 attack, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mainly civilians, and saw about 250 taken hostage, with about 100 still being held.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities.
Mr Grundberg told council members “Yemenis continue to yearn and work for peace”, but he said hopes for progress to end the escalating violence in the Middle East “seem distant”.
“Now, like many in the Middle East, their hopes for a brighter future are falling under the shadow of potentially catastrophic regional conflagration,” he said.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started a year ago.
They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors, and have seriously disrupted traffic in the Red Sea which once saw one trillion dollars in goods move through it in a year.
Mr Grundberg said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in August narrowly avoided an environmental disaster and warned that repeated attacks increase the risk of an environmental catastrophe.
In response to the Houthi attacks, a US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes in Yemen, and the Israelis have attacked the port of Hodeida, a key location for delivery of aid and commercial goods which are critical as the country is reliant on imports.
The number of Yemenis without enough to eat “soared to unprecedented levels” in August, and in Houthi-controlled areas severe levels of food deprivation have doubled since last year, Ms Msuya said.
She added that the the UN appeal for 2.7 billion dollars for Yemen this year to help 11.2 million people is 41% funded.
She said 870 million dollars is needed urgently, and warned that without the additional funds nine million Yemenis across the country will not get emergency food aid in the last quarter of this year.
Dialogue, consultation only correct choice to resolve Yemen issue: Chinese envoy
Yemen risks being dragged further into the military escalation in the Middle East that keeps intensifying and could spiral out of control, the UN special envoy for the Arab world’s poorest nation said Tuesday.
Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council that regrettably Yemen is part of the escalation — and he warned that repeated attacks on international shipping by its Houthi rebels “have significantly increased the risk of an environment disaster” in the Red Sea.
Both Mr Grundberg and the UN’s acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged the Iranian-backed Houthis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which the rebel group began to support fellow Iranian-backed militant group Hamas after its October 7 attack in Israel that sparked Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.Now, like many in the Middle East, (Yemen's) hopes for a brighter future are falling under the shadow of potentially catastrophic regional conflagration
The UN officials also demanded the release of dozens of UN personnel, staff of non-governmental organisations and diplomatic missions, and members of civil society, most detained since June.
The Houthis have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, since 2014, when they took control of the capital Sanaa and most of the north.
Hopes for peace talks vanished after the October 7 attack, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel, mainly civilians, and saw about 250 taken hostage, with about 100 still being held.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not say how many were fighters but say women and children make up more than half of the fatalities.
Mr Grundberg told council members “Yemenis continue to yearn and work for peace”, but he said hopes for progress to end the escalating violence in the Middle East “seem distant”.
“Now, like many in the Middle East, their hopes for a brighter future are falling under the shadow of potentially catastrophic regional conflagration,” he said.
The Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started a year ago.
They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors, and have seriously disrupted traffic in the Red Sea which once saw one trillion dollars in goods move through it in a year.
Mr Grundberg said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in August narrowly avoided an environmental disaster and warned that repeated attacks increase the risk of an environmental catastrophe.
In response to the Houthi attacks, a US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes in Yemen, and the Israelis have attacked the port of Hodeida, a key location for delivery of aid and commercial goods which are critical as the country is reliant on imports.
The number of Yemenis without enough to eat “soared to unprecedented levels” in August, and in Houthi-controlled areas severe levels of food deprivation have doubled since last year, Ms Msuya said.
She added that the the UN appeal for 2.7 billion dollars for Yemen this year to help 11.2 million people is 41% funded.
She said 870 million dollars is needed urgently, and warned that without the additional funds nine million Yemenis across the country will not get emergency food aid in the last quarter of this year.
Dialogue, consultation only correct choice to resolve Yemen issue: Chinese envoy
(Xinhua) 16:06, October 16, 2024
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy said on Tuesday that dialogue and consultation are the only correct choice to resolve the Yemen issue, and called on all parties concerned to jointly promote a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned comprehensive political process.
In remarks at the United Nations (UN) Security Council briefing on Yemen, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said China is deeply worried about the current situation in the Middle East and its future trajectory.
"We believe that the top priority is to push for the deescalation of the situation and to prevent the expansion of the conflict," Geng said, calling on all parties concerned to keep calm, remain restrained, and refrain from any action that will further escalate tensions.
Stressing that dialogue and consultation are the only correct choice to resolve the Yemen issue, the ambassador called on all parties concerned to stay committed to the general direction of political settlement, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, and jointly promote a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned comprehensive political process.
"All parties should act in good faith, jointly advance the implementation of the agreements on banking and aviation issues, and gradually accumulate mutual trust," he said, calling on all parties to support the work of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in order to make tangible progress in the political settlement of the Yemeni issue as soon as possible.
Noting that the continuing tension in the Red Sea does not serve the common interests of the international community, he urged the Houthis to respect the right of navigation of commercial ships of all countries in the Red Sea in accordance with international law and to cease their attacks and harassment in order to keep waterways in the Red Sea safe.
Geng also called on the international community to increase humanitarian and development input in Yemen, and encouraged all parties to strengthen communication to facilitate the unconditional release of all UN personnel as soon as possible.
"The situation in Yemen is closely linked to the situation in the Middle East," the envoy said, warning that the Gaza conflict has already caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster and is increasingly dragging the entire region into the quagmire of war and conflict.
"At this critical moment, the situation must not be allowed to deteriorate further and go down a road of no return," he said, adding that the Security Council must remain united and take measures to stop reckless military adventurism, which in disregard of consequences may expand the conflict.
"We should push for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the deescalation of the tension between Lebanon and Israel to avoid a bigger catastrophe in the Middle East," he said.
(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
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