UN envoy urges talks as Yemen returns to full-scale war

UN special envoy Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council on October 9 that Yemen had returned to full-scale war. He called for renewed political engagement, saying battlefield gains cannot replace negotiations to settle the conflict.

Grundberg said women and children were bearing the brunt of escalating violence. UN figures cited by Al Jazeera put civilian deaths since August at at least 46, with more than 130 people injured. He described instability across the Middle East and developments within Yemen as mutually reinforcing.

The envoy said international engagement must address Yemenis’ needs alongside regional security, navigation and trade. He urged Security Council members to support mediation collectively, warning against allowing war to become the country’s permanent reality.

Yemen’s government representative, Abdullah Ali Fadhel al-Saadi, called for restrictions on funding, weapons and technology reaching the Houthis and stronger cooperation with the internationally recognised government. Saudi representative Abdulaziz al-Wasil also urged the council to address the escalation. Those appeals set out the participants’ positions rather than establishing a ceasefire agreement.