Description
Relentless military escalation by Ansar Allah in Yemen’s northern Marib region, along with import restrictions at Hudaydah, the closure of Sana’a International Airport and the absence of a political process are depriving people of hope that an end to the conflict is possible, the chief United Nations mediator told the Security Council today, calling on parties to make the concessions needed to conclude a peace deal.
“Taking the decision to end the conflict and open the door to peace is the most consequential choice any party can make,” said Martin Griffiths, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, as he updated the Council on recent developments. He warned, however, that opportunities currently on the table might not be available later. “I cannot re-emphasize enough what is at stake in Marib,” he said, pointing to Ansar Allah’s offensive, ongoing for more than a year, that has caused an astonishing loss of life, overwhelming fear among internally displaced persons and a disruption of peace efforts. Reiterating his call on Ansar Allah to immediately stop its attack, he said the longer the Marib offensive continues, the greater the risks to Yemen’s broader stability and social cohesion, possibly causing the conflict to spill into areas that have remained mercifully far from the fighting.