Yemen

Yemen's internationally-recognised government launched airstrikes on Sana’a International Airport on Monday to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing, opening a new chapter in the country's long-running conflict and threatening to unravel years of fragile de-escalation.

Addressing the 15-member Council about the current situation on the ground, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said that while the 2022 truce between the Houthi rebels and the government continues to hold, the conflict is unresolved, with Yemenis bearing the cost of this uncertainty. 

Human Rights Watch on Sunday demanded that Houthi authorities who have systematically detained more than 70 United Nations employees in Yemen over the course of two years release them immediately, noting that they were captured under baseless accusations of spying for Israel, the US and Saudi Arabia.

The war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, has caused more than 377,000 direct and indirect deaths and displaced more than 4.5 million people. … The UN says Yemen's 2025 humanitarian response plan has received only 25 percent of the funding it needs – making Yemen's crisis one of the three most underfunded in the world.

More than 1,600 conflict-related detainees in Yemen will be released under a UN-brokered agreement reached after months of negotiations in Jordan, marking the largest prisoner release deal since the country’s civil war began and offering a rare sign of progress in stalled peace efforts.

Yemen has a new government, formed after elements of the old one clashed on the battlefield. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Ahmed Nagi looks at its makeup and its prospects against the backdrop of Middle East war that may draw in the Houthi rebels. 

The World Food Program (WFP) is shutting down its operations and terminating contracts with employees in the northern, rebel-held portion of Yemen, following restrictions and other harassment from the Houthi rebels, UN officials said on Thursday. 

The Security Council adopted a resolution on Tuesday that renews the mandate of the UN Mission in the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah for a final two-month period through 31 March of this year.  Resolution 2813 (2026), submitted by the United Kingdom, received 13 votes in favour and none against. Two countries – China and Russia – abstained. 

Briefing ambassadors, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said recent political and security developments – particularly in the south – underscored how quickly stability could unravel without a credible, inclusive political process. … While military de-escalation has been achieved in recent days, he cautioned that the security situation remains fragile, especially following rival deployments in southern governorates.

United Nations officials today urged an inclusive political process for Yemen, warned that millions of people are being left without life-saving aid and demanded the release of detained UN and relief personnel.