The United Nations says warring parties in Yemen have agreed on a significant step to end the devastating civil war, following a series of meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Muscat, Oman mediated by the UN. In a statement Saturday, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomed the parties’ commitment to a set of measures, which includes implementing a nationwide ceasefire, improving living conditions in Yemen, and the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices.
“Thirty million Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to provide for tangible results and progress towards lasting peace. The parties have taken a significant step. Their commitments are, first and foremost, an obligation to the Yemeni people to progress towards a future that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Yemenis,” Grundberg said.
“We are ready to accompany them on every step of the way,” he added.
More than nine years of armed conflict in Yemen have caused hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and displaced millions, making Yemen one of the world’s largest and most neglected humanitarian crises. Nearly 6 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of the civil war in 2015. Among them are 4.5 million people internally displaced inside Yemen.
The conflict between a Saudi-led coalition of Gulf countries and the ousted Government of Yemen against the Ansar-Allah movement - also known as the Houthi rebels - escalated in 2015 as Saudi Arabia began airstrikes against the Houthi and Houthi-affiliated forces. Military support by the United States, the United Kingdom and France for the coalition fueled the conflict and aggravated the humanitarian crisis. The Houthi movement is allegedly supported by Iran.
The UN Special Envoy will now engage with the parties to establish a roadmap under UN auspices that includes the new commitments and supports their implementation. According to Grundberg, the President of the Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al Alimi, and Ansar-Allah chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, were among those taking part in the recent talks.
The UN roadmap will include, among other elements, the parties’ commitment to implement a nationwide ceasefire, pay all public sector salaries, resume oil exports, open roads in Taiz and other parts of Yemen, and further ease restrictions on Sanaa Airport and the Hudaydah port. The roadmap will also establish implementation mechanisms and prepare for a Yemeni-owned political process under UN auspices.
Grundberg said Saudi Arabia and Oman played key roles in supporting the parties to the conflict to reach this point. He urged all warring parties to exercise maximum restraint at this critical time to allow for a conducive environment for dialogue and the successful conclusion of agreement on the roadmap.
Despite a six-month ceasefire in 2022, the suffering of the country's population remains immense, mainly due to the deteriorating economic situation and the collapse of basic services. Moreover, Yemen is at the forefront of the global climate crisis, as recurring natural disasters such as floods and severe droughts threaten people's lives, safety and well-being.
Following the expiry of a truce in October 2022, truce conditions have largely continued to hold over the course of 2023. Hostilities on the front lines have not returned to pre-truce levels, but intermittent fighting has continued. While fighting has abated over the last two years, millions of Yemenis still rely on humanitarian aid. The United Nations estimates that 18.2 million people will require humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024.
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, primarily driven by continued conflict and an economic collapse, has been exacerbated by critical funding gaps, global inflation, and access challenges. In addition, global food shortages have worsened the situation, many vulnerable households in Yemen face difficulties in securing food, with prices becoming unaffordable.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) announced in December 2023 that it would suspend the general distribution of food in the areas of Yemen controlled by the authorities in Sanaa. The main reason for the suspension is the limited financial resources and the lack of an agreement with the authorities on a reduced program that will allocate the available funds to the neediest families. Sanaa and the northern regions of Yemen are under the control of the Ansar-Allah movement (Houthi group).
The UN and partner organizations needed 4.3 billion US dollars this year to support millions of people across the country. By December 24, only 1.63 billion dollars have been received from international donors (coverage rate of 38 percent).
Further information
Full text: Update on efforts to secure a UN roadmap to end the war in Yemen, Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, press release, published December 23, 2023
https://osesgy.unmissions.org/update-efforts-secure-un-roadmap-end-war-yemen