UN Envoy Warns Yemen Faces Highest Conflict Risk Since 2022

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned on Friday that Yemen faces its highest risk of renewed large-scale conflict since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022. The warning follows a surge in violence driven by Houthi militia attacks in Ma'rib and Hadramawt that caused significant civilian casualties, alongside renewed strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Recent escalations include Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabian facilities and the declaration of a naval blockade on Riyadh. Grundberg expressed concern that attacks on civilian infrastructure, including airports, could draw Yemen into a broader regional confrontation with devastating consequences for the population.

Grundberg called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and return to good-faith negotiations under United Nations auspices. He asserted that a diplomatic path remains the only realistic way to achieve military de-escalation and economic stability.