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Yemen risks being dragged further into the military escalation in the Middle East, the UN special envoy for the Arab world’s poorest nation says, the Associated Press reports.
Hans Grundberg also told the UN security council on Tuesday that repeated attacks on international shipping by the Houthi rebels who control most of the country’s north “have significantly increased the risk of an environment disaster” in the Red Sea.
Both Grundberg and acting UN humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya urged the Iranian-backed Houthis to halt their attacks on shipping and release dozens of UN personnel, staff of non-governmental organizations and diplomatic missions, and members of civil society. Most have been detained since June.
Days after the June detentions, the Houthis said they had arrested members of what they called an “American-Israeli spy network,” an allegation vehemently denied by the UN and others.
Msuya warned that despite escalating needs, the issue continues to “significantly hinder our ability to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance in Yemen.”
The number of Yemenis without enough to eat soared to “unprecedented levels” in August, she said.
