New York — Hans Grundberg, the new UN special envoy for Yemen, told the UN Security Council on Friday that the Houthi offensive in Yemen’s northern Marib province “must stop.”
The Special envoy delivered his first briefing to the Security and said: “Civilians, including the many internally displaced persons in Marib, live in a constant fear of violence and renewed displacement.”
Houthi Marib region offensive that began in 2020 and has killed thousands of young Yemenis.
Grundberg added, “The peace process has been stalled for too long. The parties in the conflict have not discussed a comprehensive settlement since 2016.”
The UN envoy would soon travel to Saudi Arabia to meet Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi and planned to meet the Houthis.
“My first consultations with Yemeni, regional, and international actors will soon start. I will shortly travel to Riyadh to meet with President Hadi and other members of the government of Yemen.”
He said that talks are also planned with Saudi, Omani, Emirati, Kuwaiti, Iranian and Egyptian officials.
He said: “The UN’s approach to ending the conflict must be inclusive. To define the best way forward, I intend to assess past efforts, identify what has worked and what hasn’t, and listen to as many Yemeni men and women as possible.”
