UN to host monthly meeting on conflict in Yemen

The UN Security Council will host its monthly online meeting today concerning Yemen and its ongoing civil war.

Along with fierce fighting and human rights violations committed by Houthi and government forces alike, Yemen faces the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Famine, cholera and COVID-19 continue to devastate the country, with at least 87,000 deaths attributable to these factors alone. In 2018, the Stockholm Agreement saw Yemeni government troops conditionally cease offensive operations in major port Hodeida with rebel militants agreeing to withdraw. However, the fighting has since resumed as government forces—backed by Saudi Arabia—have made territorial gains elsewhere including the northern province of Jouf. Just last week, clashes in Hodeida left 52 people dead and 70 wounded.

Expect the UN meeting to result in renewed calls for ceasefires, increased humanitarian aid, the release of prisoners, and opening of access roads and Sana’a International Airport prior to a resumption of Yemen’s political process. The situation remains bleak, with perpetual violence displacing thousands of Yemenis. The country’s badly damaged infrastructure and public sanitation systems are insufficient to meet population needs, and food prices will only continue to rise as the economy suffers from a depreciating Yemeni Rial.

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