UN envoy warns Yemen at growing risk of large-scale conflict amid Houthi attacks

Aden: UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has warned of a growing risk of renewed large-scale conflict in Yemen amid escalating attacks by the Houthi group against Saudi tankers and Yemeni government forces.

In a statement on Friday (local time), Grundberg pointed to the latest attacks by the Houthi group in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout, which reportedly caused significant casualties, including civilians, as well as “attacks on commercial shipping” in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

He expressed concern over strikes on civilian infrastructure, including airports, and the broader rise in regional tensions.

“Taken together, these developments risk jeopardising the gains of the 2022 truce,” Grundberg said, warning that they could draw Yemen into “a broader regional confrontation.”

Grundberg noted he had held intensive discussions in recent weeks with Yemeni parties, regional actors and international partners to explore options for de-escalation, reports Xinhua news agency.

He called on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint,” halt actions that could trigger military retaliation and engage in good-faith negotiations under UN auspices.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

A UN-brokered truce took effect in April 2022, and expired in October that year without a formal extension, but a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely held since then.

The Houthi group announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping in July, citing what it called a Saudi blockade on Houthi-controlled areas, a claim that Riyadh firmly rejected.

IANS