Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Yemen Red Sea Security Food topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
U.N. envoy warns Red Sea attacks risk drawing Yemen deeper into regional conflagration; says millions face hunger
Summary
A U.N. special envoy and humanitarian officials told the Security Council that attacks in the Red Sea and continued fighting risk deepening Yemen's crisis; nearly 17 million people are reported hungry with that number expected to rise without increased funding.
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special envoy for Yemen, told the Security Council the recent escalation in the Red Sea, including attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week, has caused civilian casualties and carries a risk of environmental damage.
Grundberg urged that “freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be safeguarded and civilian infrastructure must never become a target in conflict,” and warned that Yemen should not be drawn “deeper into regional [conflict] that threatened to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country.” He also reiterated calls for the “unconditional and immediate release by Ansar Allah of all those who are arbitrarily detained,” including staff of U.N., national and international NGOs and diplomatic missions.
Tom Fletcher, U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, told the Security Council that the food-security crisis in Yemen has been steadily accelerating since late 2023. He said more than 17,000,000 people in Yemen are going hungry and that number could climb to over 18,000,000 by September without a significant funding increase.
Why it matters: the combination of maritime attacks and internal conflict threatens humanitarian supply routes and raises the prospect of wider regional escalation. U.N. officials called for increased funding to scale up emergency food and nutrition support and for the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel.
What happened next: U.N. briefings reiterated engagement with all parties, including Ansar Allah, and continued efforts to pursue diplomatic and humanitarian measures to protect civilians and aid access.
