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  1. Humanitarian News

Yemen at risk of being dragged further into the Middle East conflict

By SDK, 16 October, 2024

Amid rising regional tensions and a worsening humanitarian situation, all actors must put the interests of the Yemeni people first in order to restore peace and stability in the country, Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday. Grundberg warned that as the military escalation in the Middle East intensifies, Yemen risks being dragged further into it.

After nine years of war, Yemen remains one of the world's most severe and protracted humanitarian crises, with an estimated 18.2 million people - more than half the population - in need of assistance and protection.

Grundberg, the UN official tasked with brokering a sustainable solution to the conflict, said on Tuesday that meetings with Yemeni and international stakeholders in New York, Tehran and Moscow had reaffirmed that a peaceful solution to the nine-year conflict was viable and achievable, and that the Yemeni people needed international support.

“These are not just mere aspirations,” he stressed, reiterating that the parties have committed to a roadmap for peace, including a nationwide ceasefire.  On the military front, relative calm prevails on the front lines, and work continues on the economic front to foster cooperation for stability.  

“The tools are there,” he said, calling on parties to demonstrate the necessary will, and to put the needs of Yemenis first.

The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf states and the ousted Government of Yemen against the Ansar Allah movement - also known as the Houthi rebels - escalated in 2015, when Saudi Arabia began airstrikes against Houthi and Houthi-affiliated forces.

While the reduction in armed conflict in the country since April 2022 has led to a decrease in civilian casualties and suffering among communities, the situation remains fragile without a lasting political solution.

Grundberg said that despite the recent escalation, previous commitments remain the reference points for discussions with the parties to the conflict.

Turning to the overall security situation, he expressed concern that the year-long military escalation in the Middle East risks spiralling out of control.

“Regrettably, Yemen is part of this escalation and risks being further dragged in,” he added.

He called Ansar Allah’s repeated attacks on civilian shipping “unacceptable”, pointing to the narrowly avoided environmental disaster following the attack on the MV Sounion.  He expressed concern about reported casualties and damage to critical infrastructure following retaliatory Israeli air strikes on Hodeidah, and also noted US strikes on four Yemeni governorates.

Houthi forces have continued their attacks on international shipping and made several attempts to target Israel with rockets and drones. In response to these attacks, there have been US-led air strikes on four Yemeni governorates, as well as Israeli air strikes on Hudaydah.

“This cycle of retaliation is pulling Yemen deeper into the regional conflict, jeopardizing its hopes for peace and stability. Moreover, it distracts from the urgent need to address Yemen’s own internal crisis,” Grundberg said.

Yemenis are yearning and working for peace as their space for peacebuilding is under attack through arbitrary arrests and intimidation, particularly in areas controlled by Ansar Allah, he continued, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, including 17 United Nations staff members.

Civil society organizations are particularly vulnerable to such actions, the UN envoy said, noting the lack of due process and the recent threat of so-called criminal prosecution against some of those detained.

“I have repeatedly told Ansar Allah these kinds of actions do not signal an interest in negotiating peace,” Grundberg said.

“Civil society actors and human rights defenders continue to play a critical role in addressing the urgent humanitarian needs and fostering social cohesion. They deserve strong protection measures and international support to continue their work safely.”

In her briefing to the Security Council, Joyce Msuya, Acting UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, also called for the immediate and unconditional release of UN staff, non-governmental organization workers and others arbitrarily detained by the Houthis since June this year, as well as UN colleagues detained since 2021 and 2023.

She “categorically rejected” allegations against her colleagues, echoing concern expressed by the leaders of affected organizations in a statement on October 12 , about the reported referral to “criminal prosecution” by the Houthi de facto authorities of several arbitrarily detained colleagues.  

Detailing the UN's diplomatic engagement with the Houthi de facto authorities, she said that as a result, most of the detained staff have had contact with their relatives and those in need of medical care have received it.

“The arbitrary detention of humanitarian personnel and the false accusations against them continue to significantly hinder our ability to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance in Yemen,” Msuya said.

“The detentions are reflective of a growing, unacceptable pattern of attacks against humanitarians across the region. Humanitarian relief personnel must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

Msuya also expressed her condolences to the families of the 48 migrants who lost their lives off the coast of Djibouti when smugglers forced them off their vessel into the open sea, noting that 2024 will be the deadliest year for migrants crossing the sea between Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

„According to our colleagues at the International Organization for Migration, 57 other people who were on board remain missing. The UN is supporting authorities in Djibouti with search and rescue operations. To date, 197 people have been rescued and are receiving medical and psychosocial support,” she said.

“2024 now marks the deadliest year for migrants crossing the sea between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. This incident is a tragic reminder of the dangers faced by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers along such migration route,“ Msuya said, adding such challenges call for regional solutions.

She expressed alarm at the ongoing attacks from and into Yemen that have damaged critical infrastructure, including in Hodeidah and Ras Issa, and stressed the need for restraint and to ensure that Yemen's Red Sea ports remain open and operational.

“Infrastructure that is indispensable to the survival of the population must be spared. Yemen’s Red Sea ports are lifelines for millions of people across the country” she said.

The Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator warned that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening in scale and severity.

“Hunger continues to rise. In August, the number of people who do not have enough food to eat soared to unprecedented levels. And severe levels of food deprivation have doubled in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities since last year,” she said.

Currently, the humanitarian appeal for Yemen is only 41 percent funded, and critical response sectors are in urgent need of additional funding.

“The food security sector quickly needs an additional US$870 million. Without this, an estimated 9 million people across Yemen will not receive emergency food aid in the last quarter of 2024,” Msuya said.

“Women and children, IDPs [internally displaced persons] and other marginalized groups, will bear the brunt of the resultant spread of hunger, including heightened protection risks and long-term health consequences.”

Meanwhile, cholera continues to spread, with more than 203,000 suspected cases reported since March. With funding for the cholera response already exhausted, she stressed the need for urgent additional funding in this area.

She noted that long-term funding for gender-based violence programs is also a critical need.

“This is a sector that remains chronically underfunded, with deep lasting impacts on women and girls’ safety, dignity and mental health.”

Msuya said civilians in Yemen have suffered for too long because of factors beyond their control.

“They have endured a devastating decade-long conflict, which has upended livelihoods, decimated Yemen’s economy, and driven millions of people into poverty and despair.”

She urged UN member states to do all they can to support UN envoy Grundberg and to press for the resumption of the peace process and urgent de-escalation across the region.

Even as attention has shifted to other global emergencies, Yemen continues to be one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The dire situation in the country is exacerbated by ongoing displacement and severe funding shortages.

Across Yemen, 4.56 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. Of these, 80 percent are children and women. Lack of adequate funding continues to undermine efforts to address critical needs across Yemen.

According to the latest IPC food security analysis, released today, nearly half of the population, or 4.7 million people, in Government-controlled areas of Yemen experienced high levels of acute food insecurity between July and September 2024, classified as IPC Phase 3 or above (crisis level or worse).

This figure does not include people facing crisis levels or worse in Houthi-controlled areas.

The situation in government-controlled areas will improve only slightly, with 4.6 million people projected to be in Phase 3 or worse during the projection period between October 2024 and February 2025. Of these, 1.1 million people are expected to face emergency levels of food insecurity (Phase 4) and 3.5 million people are expected to face crisis levels of food insecurity.

Further information

Full text: Briefing by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, to the Security Council, UN Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, delivered October 15, 2024
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/briefing-un-special-envoy-yemen-hans-grundberg-security-council-6

Full text: Briefing to the Security Council on Yemen by Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, OCHA, delivered October 15, 2024
https://www.unocha.org/news/acting-un-relief-chief-warns-security-council-yemen-crisis-worsening-scale-and-severity

Full text: Yemen: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for July - September 2024 and Projection for October 2024 – February 2025 (partial analysis), Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), published October 16, 2024
https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1157981/

Tags

  • Yemen
  • Underfunded Emergency
  • Hunger
  • Displacement

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