The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, stressed Thursday the importance of unifying the Yemeni currency and ending the Central Bank split, also referring to Saudi Arabia’s role in halting a dangerous cycle of economic escalation between the Yemeni government and the Houthis.
Grundberg’s address to the Security Council came while several countries denounced the Houthis for seizing the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sanaa this week. They demanded the release of all abducted Yemenis who work for foreign organizations, including UN agencies.
In his briefing to the Security Council, Grundberg said, “Last month, with the support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the parties were able to halt a dangerous cycle of escalation that was negatively impacting Yemen’s banking and transport sectors and threatened to ignite renewed military conflict.”
He then referred to the regional escalation, which is taking place in parallel to real and urgent challenges inside Yemen that need to be addressed.
“Addressing the decade-long conflict in Yemen continues to be at the center of my work,” the envoy said.
Grundberg also spoke about the Houthi concerted campaign against Yemeni employees of the UN, civil society, national and international NGOs.
He called on Houthis “to act responsibly and compassionately” towards Yemenis and “immediately and unconditionally release all UN, NGO, civil society, diplomatic mission and private sector employees as well as members of religious minorities, and refrain from further arbitrary detentions.”
The envoy added, “In four days, on the 19th of August, we will commemorate World Humanitarian Day. Yet, in Yemen, we are facing a clampdown by Houthis on the humanitarian and civic space.”
Also, Grundberg underscored the importance of working toward the unification of the currency, a unified central bank, and ensuring the banking sector is free from political interference.
“My office has prepared options and offered a clear proposal and pathway to achieve these objectives, all of which have been based on the input of the parties themselves,” he said.
Western Condemnations
Meanwhile, several countries continued to denounce the Houthi seizure of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) headquarters in Sanaa.
In a message posted on social media platform X on Thursday, the UK minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Hamish Falconer, called on the Houthis to halt the harassment of workers from the UN and other organizations, and for the release of all abducted employees.
“We call on the Houthis to allow the UN and all NGOs to continue their critical work for the Yemeni people and to release all detained staff immediately,” he said.
On Wednesday, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel condemned the Houthis for the takeover of the UN office.
“The storming and takeover of the OHCHR headquarters in Sanaa by Houthi militants violates international norms. It further demonstrates that the Houthis have no respect for the most basic international practices,” he said in a statement.
“This is just one more step in an aggressive series of Houthi actions including detentions of UN, international organization, and diplomatic personnel working to help the Yemeni people,” he said. “These actions will further obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis who have endured crisis conditions for far too long.”
The United States said it continues to support a negotiated peace in Yemen under UN auspices and strongly supports the work of the OHCHR and other agencies and organizations bringing relief to the Yemeni people.
According to Patel, there can be no sustainable solution to Yemen’s conflict as long as the Houthis insist on attacking international ships and threatening their neighbors and the Yemeni people.
Houthi Leader Threatens
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi vowed on Thursday to retaliate against the Israeli attacks on the port of Hodeidah.
He said 73 Houthis have been killed and 181 injured since the beginning of the group’s military operations against Israel in October 2023, including about six killed and 80 injured in the Israeli attacks on Hodeidah.
The Houthi leader admitted that American fighter jets conducted 10 airstrikes against his group this week alone. Eight of these strikes reportedly targeted the coastal province of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, with additional strikes in Hajjah province and Sanaa.
He then revealed that also this week, his group launched 15 ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones against ships.
Al-Houthi said his group was able to mobilize over 400,000 people for military training programs.
He added that the response on the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh is certainly coming, with its own trajectory, preparations, tactics, and dedicated capabilities.
