UN calls for urgent measures to halt ‘dangerous escalatory cycle’ in Yemen

The United Nations’ special envoy for Yemen has urged immediate action to end the “dangerous escalatory cycle” in the war-torn country, particularly given recent attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea.

Hans Grundberg called on Yemeni parties and relevant regional actors to support deescalation in the Red Sea to protect the mediation space in Yemen.

He called for regional deescalation, for all parties to refrain from “military opportunism” and for progress towards a mediated agreement to be protected.

In the meantime, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, as well as in the Gulf of Aden, in addition to Western retaliation, have thrown the peace process up in the air.

The attacks have also prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.

Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the fighting between Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, as well as from indirect causes such as disease and malnutrition. More than 18 million Yemenis need “urgent support,” according to the UN’s humanitarian agency OCHA.