• UN envoy urges Yemen de-escalation
• Houthis target vessels linked to Israel
• US airstrikes counter Houthi attacks

In light of ongoing Houthi rebel offensives in the Red Sea and retaliatory strikes by Western powers against Yemen, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen has urged urgent action to break the “dangerous escalatory cycle” in the war-torn country.

“In order to safeguard the mediation space in Yemen, I am engaging with Yemeni parties. I aim to support de-escalation in the Red Sea,” Hans Grundberg told the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

“In the near future, three things must happen to break this perilous cycle of escalation,” Grundberg stated, urging regional de-escalation, an end to “military opportunistic behaviour” by all parties, and protection of progress towards a mediated agreement.

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Houthis of Yemen have launched assaults against vessels they claim are linked to Israel. Advocating for Palestinian solidarity, the militants have declared that the assaults will persist until Israel ceases its military conflict in Gaza.

The United States and the United Kingdom, however, have intervened in response to the provocations by conducting a series of airstrikes against Yemeni targets in an effort to deter the Houthis.

“The Way to Peace”

Since 2015, rebels backed by Iran have engaged in combat with a Saudi Arabia-led coalition. This comes months after they captured the capital city of Sanaa and the majority of Yemen’s population centres, forcing the internationally recognised government to retreat to Aden in the south.

The United Nations reported in December that arduous negotiations were making progress and that the belligerent factions had reached an agreement to resume “an inclusive political process.”

Recent Houthi attacks and retaliation from the West have significantly disrupted the peace process.

Grundberg stated, “However, I have received assurances in recent communications that all parties favour the path towards peace.”

Yemen has lost hundreds of thousands of lives to direct and indirect causes, including disease and malnutrition. Over eighteen million Yemenis, according to the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA, require “urgent support.”

Grundberg cautioned, “Yemen is not a footnote to a broader regional narrative.” “Although the situation has escalated regionally, Yemen still requires an immediate nationwide ceasefire.”

This was the first “open” meeting of the Security Council regarding Yemen in nearly five months.

“A peace agreement between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis was a distant possibility a year ago, but… things are certainly much more complicated now,” Elizondo said.

The current priority for Grundberg is to maintain the terms of the Yemen ceasefire, according to our correspondent. However, the ongoing conflict in Gaza is exacerbating the situation.

“Terrorist” Classification

Edem Wosornu, director of UN aid operations, stated that the United States’ decision to reinstate the Houthis to a list of “terrorist” organisations is one of the complications. The United Nations is concerned that this action could harm Yemen’s economy, especially commercial imports of essential goods.

On Friday, the United States implements the measure it announced a month ago, which imposes severe sanctions on the Houthis in retaliation for the cargo ship attacks.

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Certain significant shipping companies have been compelled to alter their routes around southern Africa to circumvent the Red Sea, a critical passageway that typically transports around 12 percent of global maritime commerce.

Although the humanitarian community was concerned about “any potential adverse effects” of the US designation, Wosornu noted that exemptions had been issued by Washington in an effort to mitigate the impact on Yemeni civilians.

“However, we are concerned that this could have an impact on the economy, including the commercial importation of necessities that the Yemeni people require more than ever before,” Wosornu informed the Security Council.

“Humanitarian assistance is unable to compensate for shortages of commercial goods.” These effects have the potential to resonate throughout the entire country. “The already fragile economy of Yemen cannot withstand any additional major shocks,” she stated.

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