Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called for de-escalation in the country during a series of meetings held in the Omani capital, Muscat, emphasizing the need to preserve the relative calm that Yemen has experienced since the 2022 truce agreement.
According to a statement from the UN envoy’s office, Grundberg held discussions with a number of senior Omani officials, as well as the chief negotiator of the Houthi group, Mohammed Abdulsalam, as part of his ongoing efforts to advance the peace process in Yemen.
The statement explained that the talks focused on the importance of immediate de-escalation, reaching an agreed-upon path to ensure the continuation of calm, as well as discussing practical steps to revive the political process.
The UN envoy stressed the necessity for Yemeni parties to engage in UN-sponsored negotiations addressing both short- and long-term priorities through the three mediation tracks: the political track, the military and security track, and the economic track, leading to a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the Yemeni crisis.
Grundberg’s movements come amid escalating tensions on the Yemeni scene in recent days, following statements by the Houthi group regarding Sana’a International Airport and relations with Saudi Arabia. These were followed by a position from Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi, in which he accused the group of insisting on receiving Iranian flights outside the legal and sovereign frameworks regulating civil aviation.
Al-Alimi affirmed that these steps represent “a disregard for state institutions” and a rejection of efforts aimed at avoiding further escalation, directing the government and armed forces to raise readiness levels and take the necessary political, diplomatic, and legal measures to protect national sovereignty.
The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council held the Houthis responsible for any potential repercussions of the escalation, calling for moving from the phase of condemnation to taking deterrent steps and enforcing relevant Security Council resolutions on Yemen.
