clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

UN Envoy arrives in Sana’a for talks with Yemen rebels

April 11, 2022 at 1:44 pm

UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in Taiz, Yemen on 8 November 2021 [Abdulnasser Alseddik/Anadolu Agency]

The UN Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in the rebel-held capital, Sana’a, on Monday, for the first time since taking office nine months ago, Anadolu News Agency reports.

A source at Sana’a Airport said Grundberg arrived in Sana’a from the Omani capital, Muscat.

Grundberg is scheduled to hold meetings with Houthi leaders, as part of UN efforts to reach a political agreement to end the nine-year conflict in Yemen.

The Yemeni government had earlier accused the Houthi group of refusing to meet with the UN Envoy in Sana’a.

There was no comment from Houthi rebels on the UN Envoy’s arrival in Sana’a.

Earlier this month, Grundberg managed to strike a two-month truce between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sana’a.

A Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to reinstate the Yemeni government, has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises. Nearly 80 per cent, or about 30 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

READ: Yemen’s new Presidential Council promises to bring peace