Yemen

The United Nations in Yemen on Thursday raised alarm over an escalation in fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces in Hodeidah, a vital entry point for aid and food imports.

At the end of a week-long meeting in Switzerland, the parties to the conflict in Yemen reached what the UN envoy there called “a very important milestone”, in agreeing to release a first group of detainees.

UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande says only $1bn of the $3.2bn needed funding has been received.

[…] Martin Griffiths, the UN’s Special Envoy for Yemen, updating the Council on political developments, said that increased fighting – particularly around the northern city of Ma’rib – alongside greater humanitarian needs and the COVID-19 pandemic, mean that Yemen is slipping away from the road to peace.

The war in Yemen continues to ravage the country and its people, senior UN-appointed rights investigators said on Wednesday, in a call for an international probe into suspected war crimes, and sanctions against the perpetrators.

The withdrawal is the latest setback for the troubled process.

U.N. officials have been seeking access to the vessel, known as the FSO Safer, for two years in order to assess its safety, do light repairs and eventually tow it to a safe port to remove the oil, but the Houthi rebels in control of the area have repeatedly reneged on promises to allow that to happen.

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The Southern Transitional Council has backed down on its declaration of self-rule following pressure from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This could help pave the way for peace talks to begin again in the war-torn country.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen has never been worse, with conflict escalating, famine on the horizon, the economy in tatters and COVID-19 out of control, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Tuesday as they issued a fresh call for an immediate ceasefire.