Special Envoy Warns Security Council of Escalation, Humanitarian Crisis and Threat of ‘Unprecedented’ Environmental Disaster in Yemen
Amid rising regional tensions, a national humanitarian crisis and a looming environmental disaster, all stakeholders must put Yemen first, the United Nations official charged with mediating a sustainable resolution to the conflict in that country told the Security Council today.
Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, expressed concern over the “escalatory trajectory” in the country, reporting that Ansar Allah — also referred to as the Houthi movement — has continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike military targets inside Yemen. Ansar Allah’s recent targeting of the Greek-flagged oil tanker the Sounion forced the abandonment of the ship and imminently threatens a “catastrophic” oil spill and environmental disaster of “unprecedented” scale, he stressed. Noting that the ongoing war in Gaza complicates peace efforts, he said that conflict has extended its destabilizing effects across the region.
The threat of a return to full-scale war remains ever-present in Yemen, he warned, also detailing military activities along the frontlines and escalatory rhetoric between the warring sides inside the country. While the 23 July understanding reached between the parties on economic de-escalation has averted an acute crisis, most Yemenis’ economic situation continues to decline. His office will seek to use that understanding as a steppingstone to de-politicize the economy and shift the parties away from a zero-sum mindset to one of collaboration, he said. It will also continue regular communication with military commanders to ensure that a future ceasefire mechanism can function effectively.
He also highlighted his office’s consultations with political parties and civil society to promote a vision for an inclusive peace process, which have gathered several hundred Yemenis, including women, youth, tribal leaders, human-rights defenders and vulnerable groups. Also noting that over 100 days have passed since Ansar Allah detained a number of humanitarian workers, he urged their immediate, unconditional release. “The continued detention of these individuals is a profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of Yemen,” he underscored.
Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator, also called for the immediate and unconditional release of the UN personnel, non-governmental-organization staff and civil-society representatives arbitrarily detained by the Houthis. “While they remain deprived of their liberty, they must be treated with full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights,” she stressed, adding that they must also be allowed to contact their families and legal representatives.
Turning to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Yemen — where 62 per cent of surveyed households report that they do not have enough food to eat — she warned that, by the end of 2024, an estimated 600,000 children in Government-controlled areas will be acutely malnourished. Further, around 118,000 are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition — a 34 per cent increase since 2023. “Time is of the essence if we are to prevent catastrophe,” she stressed, urging an integrated approach that addresses the main drivers of this crisis. These include disease outbreaks and poor water, sanitation and hygiene services.
She reported that Yemen is also dealing with the effects of devastating rains, floods and landslides, which have displaced more than 270,000 people. The country is also suffering a cholera outbreak, with more than 180,000 suspected cases. While noting that $20 million will be released from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to address needs in Yemen, she stressed that this allocation is insufficient to sustain the breadth of critical programmes on which Yemenis rely. After all, “humanitarian assistance cannot provide a long-term solution”, she observed.
Linda Al Obahi, Senior Political Affairs and Mediation Advisor at the Peace Track Initiative and the Women Solidarity Network, then highlighted the challenges faced by women and girls in Yemen, including food insecurity, water shortages, disease and lack of access to health care and education. They are also at heightened risk of domestic and sexual violence, as well as forced and early marriage, and women and girls from minority groups are increasingly subject to attacks, torture and exploitation. The imposition of dress codes and restrictions on freedom of expression — especially in Houthi-controlled areas — impede women’s ability to work and participate in public life, she added.
Yemeni women human-rights defenders and peacebuilders are often subjected to threats of violence, she went on to say, also detailing the consistently documented arbitrary detention, physical torture, rape and forced confessions of women and girls — particularly in Houthi prisons — with some detainees as young as 14 years old. Local women’s organizations have also documented brutal forms of sexual violence, such as mutilation and forced abortion. “Today, I am here to convey not only the gravity of these violations, but also the profound disappointment felt by the majority of Yemenis regarding the tepid international response to these developments,” she stressed.
She also expressed concern that, for the first time in 24 years, there are no women holding Government positions in the country. All UN-led negotiations must include women and other groups in decision-making processes, including mediation and ceasefire efforts, she stressed, also urging those present to “reject general immunities or selective justice”.
When the floor opened, the representative of the United States was among the many speakers who highlighted the plight of those detained by the Houthis, including 11 diplomatic staff from his country. Condemning the release of “so-called confession videos” extracted from the detainees, he stressed that “the Houthis have made clear they care only about themselves”. Their maritime attacks threaten peace and navigational freedoms, and they are willing to destroy Yemen’s fishing industry and regional ecosystems. And, they not only struck the Sounion, but also set off secondary explosions, posted the videos online and threatened salvage crews. “It is troubling that some Council members remain silent in the face of such obvious threats to shared global interests,” he said, adding that the organ must condemn such escalations and hold Iran responsible for arming the Houthis.
“We are appalled,” said Japan’s delegate, that the Sounion — a tanker carrying more than 1 million barrels of crude oil — caught fire and was abandoned after multiple Houthi strikes. While there reportedly is no imminent risk of an oil spill, she demanded that the Houthis immediately stop attacks, threatening maritime security and release the 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader who have been held for nearly 10 months. Japan’s Foreign Minister recently called her Iranian counterpart to urge Tehran to exercise its influence over the Houthis, she added.
Similarly, the United Kingdom’s delegate said that the recent attack on the Sounion is a clear example of the Houthis’ disregard for the catastrophic environmental and economic consequences of their actions. Calling for the immediate cessation of arms supplies to the Houthis, he said the continued provision of advanced weapons shows complete disregard for the UN arms embargo. The representative of France, stressing that States have the right to defend their vessels against Houthi attacks in accordance with international law, reaffirmed Paris’ commitment to Operation Aspides — the European Union’s defence and security operation in the Red Sea. Pointing to the urgent humanitarian response required to counter the cholera outbreak and food insecurity caused by flooding, he noted that “Yemenis are the main victims of the restrictions that the Houthis have imposed on humanitarian operations”.
Other speakers also underlined the importance of unhindered humanitarian support for the Yemeni people. Ecuador’s delegate underscored that humanitarian agencies must be able to carry out their work, as more than 18 million people are suffering from food insecurity and malnutrition, exacerbated by a cholera outbreak and the impact of heavy rains and floods. Humanitarian workers should not, under any circumstances, be subjected to attack, detention or imprisonment while performing their duties, he stressed. “Humanitarian aid must not be exploited,” the representative of Switzerland underscored, adding that the efforts of the UN and other humanitarian actors — who are simply trying to get aid to people in need and to protect human rights — must be facilitated, not hindered.
Additionally, some Council members spotlighted the dire conditions faced by Yemeni women and girls, stressing that any way forward must include their voices and perspectives. The representative of Malta expressed concern that the mahram requirement continues to impede Yemeni women’s ability to work, travel and access health care. Slovenia’s delegate, emphasizing that Yemeni women have long shaped peacebuilding and conflict resolution in their country, stressed the need to uphold the 30 per cent quota for women’s participation — as agreed upon by Yemeni parties at the National Dialogue Conference. “All Yemenis should be part of designing a peace which delivers for all people,” he stressed.
The representative of Yemen also addressed the Council, blaming the Houthi militias — supported by Iran — for obstructing peace efforts and causing significant humanitarian suffering. He urged the international community to enforce UN resolutions and pressure the Houthis to engage in peace talks. “We will not give up, and we are still committed to the choice of peace,” he pledged. Additionally, he detailed Yemen’s economic challenges, including the suspension of oil exports and the impact of climate-related disasters. “We remind the international community and the United Nations of the tragedy our people are living in the region,” he said, calling for increased humanitarian and developmental support for his country.
The representative of Sierra Leone, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Mozambique, also urged increased financial and logistical support for aid efforts in Yemen, noting that continued instability has drastically shrunk economic activity and severely impeded the flow of essential goods and services. He, too, expressed concern over Houthi actions that continue to jeopardize the maritime ecosystem in the Red Sea. “The escalating attacks on oil tankers, some of which are set ablaze and have been sunk, pose significant economic, security and environmental threats to Yemen and the wider region,” he said, spotlighting the risk posed by the attack on the oil tanker Sounion.
Building on that, the representative of the Republic of Korea warned that instability in Yemen is impacting the overall crisis in the region, calling on neighbouring countries to play a more active role in working towards lasting peace in the country. China’s delegate said that the tension in the Red Sea is “a manifestation of the spillover of the Gaza conflict”. While 11 months have passed since that conflict began, no hope for peace has emerged. “The negative impacts of the conflict are fuelling regional turmoil,” he stressed, calling for the implementation of all relevant Council resolutions and an immediate, durable ceasefire in Gaza.
The representative of the Russian Federation, for his part, pointed to the double standards of some Council members who are “so emphatically” demanding that the Houthis release detainees while “shamefully” overlooking Israel’s detention of UN personnel in Gaza and the West Bank. Nevertheless, he said that the detention of such personnel in Yemen is unacceptable. He also condemned Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, as well as the Western coalition’s strikes on Yemen’s soil, which he called “a gross violation of its sovereignty”. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation is “shattering all prior grim records”, he noted. Yet, the UN humanitarian plan for Yemen is only 29 per cent funded. “This situation critically requires the merger and the pooling of the efforts of the international community as a whole,” he stressed.