United Nations
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has called on the warring parties in Yemen to strive for a “serious breakthrough” in ongoing talks to end the conflict in the country. Yemen has been locked in a military conflict since Houthi militias captured several northern cities and ousted the Yemeni government from the capital Sanaa in 2014, Xinhua news agency reported.
On April 2, 2022, the Yemeni government and Houthi militias agreed to a two-month ceasefire mediated by the United Nations, which was later renewed twice until October 2. However, Yemen’s warring sides have failed to reach an agreement on a further extension. Grundberg told a Security Council meeting on Monday that despite the end of the ceasefire, Yemen and its people have enjoyed relative peace since the start of the conflict. The benefits are being felt for the longest time.
The period of relative calm, he said, has opened the door for serious discussions with Yemeni actors on the way forward toward ending the conflict, adding that to permanently end the war, the ongoing talks “will continue.” A serious success has to be reached”. Grundberg said the situation on the ground in Yemen remained fragile and challenging, stressing that “we cannot seek seasonal peace”.
The parties in Yemen need to immediately end military provocations and prepare and agree to a permanent nationwide ceasefire, he said. Grundberg said they urgently needed to ease economic stress and focus on near- and long-term economic priorities. They also urged the parties to make progress in agreeing on a clear path to restart the intra-Yemeni political process under the auspices of the United Nations.
He underlined that only Yemenis can debate and decide on fundamental questions of sovereignty, national and local governance, revenue management and security arrangements.
