(Al Jazeera Media Network) The United Nations special envoy for Yemen has called for immediate action to end the “dangerous escalatory cycle” in the war-wracked country, as Houthi rebels continue their attacks in the Red Sea and western powers retaliate with strikes on Yemen.
“I am engaging the Yemeni parties and relevant regional actors to support de-escalation in the Red Sea to protect the mediation space in Yemen,” Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
“Three things need to happen in the immediate term to create an off-ramp to this dangerous escalatory cycle,” Grundberg said, calling for regional de-escalation; for all parties to refrain from “military opportunism”; and for progress toward a mediated agreement to be protected.
Yemen’s Houthis have been launching attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden against ships they said were linked to Israel. The attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians and will not cease until Israel stops its war on Gaza, the rebels said.
But the provocations have prompted the United States and United Kingdom to intervene, launching a series of air raids on targets in Yemen in the hope of deterring the Houthis.
The Iran-backed rebels have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, months after they seized the capital Sanaa and most of Yemen’s population centres, forcing the internationally recognized government south to Aden.
As recently as December, painstaking negotiations were gaining ground, and the UN said the warring parties had agreed to work toward “the resumption of an inclusive political process.”
The recent Houthi attacks, in addition to western retaliation, have thrown the peace process up in the air.
However, “in my latest exchanges, I have received assurances that all parties prefer the path to peace,” Grundberg said.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen have died in the fighting and from indirect causes, such as disease and malnutrition. More than 18 million Yemenis need “urgent support”, according to the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA.
“Yemen is not a footnote to a wider regional story,” Grundberg warned. “The regional escalation does not negate the urgent needs in Yemen for a nationwide ceasefire.”
