Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Hans Grundberg recognized that “for some – on both sides of the conflict – the appetite for a military escalation remains.”

Briefing the Security Council today (9 Jul) Grundberg said, “We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah, resulting in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage. These were the first attacks on commercial vessels in over seven months. In response, Israeli air strikes have hit Sana’a earlier in the reporting period as well as the ports of Hudaydah, Ras Issa and Salif and a power station on Sunday.”

He added, “Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country. The stakes for Yemen are simply too high.”

He highlighted, “There has been a continuation of military activity in governorates such as Al Dhale’a, Al Jawf, Ma’rib, Ta’iz and Sa’dah. I am also concerned about troop movements towards Al Dhale’a, Ma’rib and Ta’iz. I recognise that for some – on both sides of the conflict – the appetite for a military escalation remains. A military solution, however, remains a dangerous illusion that risks deep ening Yemen’s suffering.”

He stressed, “It is urgent to move forward as time is not on our side. The longer the conflict is drawn out, the more complex it becomes.”

Turning to economy, Grundberg stated that across Yemen, “the little money people do have in their hands is either falling in value or literally falling apart.”

Grundberg stressed, “A positive shift towards greater stability in the region would certainly be welcome and could help create an environment for Yemen to move forward — but this cannot be a precondition for change. Yemen must advance regardless.”

He concluded by reiterating his call for the unconditional and immediate release “by Ansar Allah of all those arbitrarily detained from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions. The number of cases requiring urgent medical attention are increasing. They need access to medical assistance. They need to be home with their families. We will not let this issue drop. Our detained colleagues are not forgotten, not by me or my mission, nor by all of us in the UN working tirelessly for the sake of the Yemeni population.”

According to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher the food security crisis in Yemen has been steadily accelerating since late 2023.

“Today, more than 17 million people in Yemen are going hungry. That number could climb to over 18 million between September and February,” he said

Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations, stated, “We reaffirm that the success of any political approach to achieving peace and ending the Yemeni crisis requires addressing the roots of this crisis—particularly, the coup by the Houthi militias against the state, its constitutional institutions, the national consensus, and the aspirations of the Yemeni people—and therefore there is a need to stop the destructive approach of these militias destabilizing Yemen, the region, and the world.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCwOUnnG9TE

Source: United Nations (video statements)

Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Highlights:
– Deputy Secretary-General
– Yemen
– Sudan
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Syria
– Ethiopia

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, is in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where she is attending the International Conference on the Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea. She is doing that on behalf of the Secretary-General.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, she highlighted the vast potential of the Blue Economy in the region, stressing the importance of protecting the ocean, unlocking its economic power, and ensuring maritime security to deliver benefits for people. She also underscored that the Blue Economy is not only central to SDG 14 — which as you all know is Life Below Water — but is also a powerful enabler of the entire 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
During her visit, the Deputy Secretary-General also held bilateral meetings with senior government officials, including the Prime Minister of Cameroon, Joseph Dion Ngute.
They discussed regional challenges, strengthening the cooperation between Cameroon and the United Nations, and accelerating progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.

YEMEN
Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, briefed the Security Council today and expressed his grave concern at the escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah that resulted in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage to the Red Sea.
He said that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be safeguarded, and civilian infrastructure must never become a target in conflict. Above all, he warned, Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country.
Mr. Grundberg reiterated his call for the unconditional and immediate release by Ansar Allah of all those who are arbitrarily detained from the United Nations, national and international NGOs, civil society organizations, as well as diplomatic missions in Yemen.
For his part, Tom Fletcher, our Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, also briefed the Council and he told the fifteen members that the food security crisis in Yemen has been steadily accelerating since late 2023. Today, he said, more than 17 million people in Yemen are going hungry and that number could climb to over 18 million by September. He called for increased funding now to scale up emergency food and nutrition support for all those who need it. 

SUDAN
Turning to the situation in Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that the situation in North Darfur State remains alarming, as fighting continues to drive families from their homes.
Yesterday, shelling reportedly hit the market area inside the Abu Shouk camp, killing three civilians and injuring many more. As a reminder, this is a displacement camp where famine was confirmed last year. This tragic incident is another reminder of the toll this conflict is taking on civilians.
Prior to yesterday’s incident, the International Organization for Migration reports that more than 3,200 people had fled Abu Shouk camp and parts of El Fasher between June 26th and July 6th, and that they were seeking safety in places like As Serief, Tawila and At Tina.
In the Kordofan region, the humanitarian situation is also deteriorating.
Ongoing violence is forcing more people to flee, often into areas with little or no assistance. IOM says that on July 5th, nearly 800 people were displaced from Bara, in North Kordofan State, and are now sheltering in White Nile State.
Despite the challenges, our humanitarian partners are doing everything they can to keep services running. In North Darfur, they are supporting over 1.7 million human beings with basic healthcare, using both remaining health facilities and mobile clinics. However, medical supplies are running critically low.
We and our partners are rushing assistance to the Darfur region.
A humanitarian convoy that crossed into Darfur from Chad on July 6th – and that convoy was led by our Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Antoine Gerard – is carrying 180 metric tonnes of life-saving relief items for almost 400,000 conflict-affected and displaced people both in the East and South Darfur states.
Meanwhile, flash flooding threatens to make it more difficult for humanitarians to reach people in need. Today in eastern Sudan, heavy rains triggered flash floods in the Northern Delta locality of Kassala State. This comes as authorities began releasing water from several major dams to manage rising floodwaters. OCHA is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they come in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oakUfqPvDo