'Yemen Both a Mirror, Magnifier of Region's Volatility', Warns Special Envoy, in Briefing to Security Council
Meetings Coverage
Security Council
9996th Meeting (AM)
SC/16169
15 September 2025
The Security Council today condemned the arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel as envoys warned that Yemen's conflict — exacerbated by regional hostilities, food insecurity and attacks on aid workers — demands urgent dialogue and a renewed focus on a Yemeni-led peace process.
"Stability in Yemen cannot be separated from the wider dynamics of the region", Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen told the 15-member organ.
Yemen's unresolved conflict is "like a fault line, sending tremors across its borders", amplifying rivalries, while "regional instability continues to return to Yemen, fuelling its divisions", he said. In short, "Yemen is both a mirror and a magnifier of the region's volatility", and without addressing both tracks "neither can advance in isolation".
Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, Mr. Grundberg emphasized, the world faces "an alarming and dangerous intensification of hostilities between Ansar Allah and Israel". Ansar Allah "has continued to target Israel with drones and missiles", while Israeli strikes in Sana'a and other areas have reportedly killed civilians, including "senior Ansar Allah officials, some of whom were interlocutors of my office".
This "escalatory cycle must end", he stressed, adding that "if Yemen is addressed primarily through the lens of regional concerns, the voices and aspirations of the Yemenis themselves become sidelined". The country is "dragged further from a peace process that would bring sustainable, long-term peace". He urged the Council to "get the focus back on Yemen".
Moreover, he said that the "arbitrary detentions of 22 United Nations staff" and the continued holding of over 40 UN personnel are "egregious escalations" that "endanger the UN's ability to advance peace efforts". He said the UN stands in solidarity with colleagues still detained and urges their "unconditional and immediate release".
He also emphasized "dialogue — however difficult — is the only viable path", adding that the UN remains committed to "a Yemeni-led inclusive political settlement" that can ensure stability and prosperity and be "insulated from wider geopolitical shocks".
Mass Hunger Must Not Define the Future of Yemen
"Rising food prices, security threats to [humanitarian] work, a collapsing economy and persistent conflict have made Yemen the third most food insecure country on earth", said Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. By February 2025, an additional 1 million people are expected to be pushed into extreme hunger, joining 17 million Yemenis who already lack sufficient food. "In one out of five households, someone goes a full day and night without any food at all", he said.
Despite the lack of funding and a tough operating environment, humanitarians have been responding to those in greatest need. Highlighting Hajja, where children died from starvation in camps for internally displaced peoples, he pointed to efforts to tackle food insecurity; provide vital life-saving cash support, in-kind food distributions and hygiene kits; and restore clean water supplies. In Amran, support from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund allowed local partners to provide health and nutrition services to 15,000 people in critical need.
However, "funding cuts are costing lives", he pointed out, noting that in addition to food insecurity, 2 million women and girls have lost access to reproductive health services. The arbitrary detention of now 44 UN staff, the forcible entry of UN offices and the seizure of equipment undermines the Organization's ability to continue to deliver at scale. "Detaining humanitarian staff does not help the people of Yemen. It does not feed the hungry, heal the sick nor protect those displaced by floods or fighting," he said.
"If you have any influence, you must use it," he appealed, highlighting three calls to action — the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained colleagues, the return of UN compounds occupied by security forces and funding to combat food insecurity and malnutrition. "We must not allow mass hunger to define the future of Yemen", he said.
Calls for Immediate Release of Detained UN Personnel
In the ensuing discussion among Council members, speakers strongly condemned the detention of UN personnel, with the representative of the United Kingdom condemning the Houthis' detention of at least 22 UN personnel, their forced entry into the premises of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and their seizure of UN property. "The safety of UN personnel, as well as the inviolability of UN premises, must be guaranteed at all times", he underscored. "We strongly condemn the Houthis' arbitrary detentions of UN staff, forced entry into UN premises, and seizure of property, and demand immediate release of all detainees", added Denmark's delegate.
Several speakers also said that Houthi arbitrary detentions have aggravated security conditions in Yemen, thus affecting the delivery of humanitarian response. "Life-saving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance and protection services must continue uninterrupted to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe", warned Greece's delegate. The representative of Panama said that with 17.1 million Yemenis facing severe food insecurity, detentions of UN workers and humanitarian officials only disrupts life-saving aid. "We urge all parties to break the stalemate through political will and concrete steps towards an inclusive peace process", added Pakistan's delegate, calling on the Council to "speak with one voice" to facilitate and advance the peace process.
"The Houthis shoulder overwhelming responsibility for the suffering of Yemeni civilians", said France's delegate. While millions of Yemenis face hunger, the Houthis target those who are trying to help them, using unacceptable pretexts. He condemned the continued Houthi attacks against Israel and maritime traffic in the Red Sea. Addressing the Houthis directly, Slovenia's representative said that "these reckless and inhumane acts only harm your own people". He underscored: "Reverse course now." Also stressing that the "back-and-forth attacks" between the Houthis and Israel "must end", he said that Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity must be respected.
Dialogue, Compromise, Inclusivity Remain Only Path
"We stress — once again — that dialogue, compromise and inclusivity remain the only path", added the representative of Somalia, also speaking for Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone. Noting "with cautious optimism" that there have been no new attacks in the Red Sea since the Council was last briefed on this issue, he welcomed this development as it "demonstrates the value of restraint in avoiding further escalation". Nevertheless, he condemned the latest Israeli strikes on Yemen and called for a ceasefire in Gaza — "recognizing that the ongoing conflict has also negatively impacted peace efforts in Yemen".
The representative of China said that recently renewed hostilities between the Houthis and Israel have "showcased the growing intensity and frequency of the conflict". He also stressed that the Houthis must respect the navigational rights of commercial vessels in the Red Sea, that the international community must provide more humanitarian assistance to Yemen and that "abiding by humanitarian principles is an unequivocal baseline".
The representative of the Republic of Korea, Council President for September, speaking in his national capacity, noting Israeli air strikes in Sana'a in August, as well as air strikes last week that reportedly caused significant civilian casualties including multiple journalists, and the Houthi's intolerable further detentions, along with retaliatory vows, said: "Such retaliatory action-reaction dynamics only fuel a dangerous spiral."
"We stand with Israel and its right of self-defence against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, like the Houthis", said the representative of the United States, adding that the Houthis continue to launch attacks against civilians and infrastructure in Israel. Noting that the Houthis are expanding their repertoire of weapons, he said: "Now we clearly see the Houthis are also drug dealers", adding that the Yemeni Government's counter-terrorism forces recently seized 600 kilograms of cocaine meant for the Houthis. On 11 September, his country issued additional sanctions against those facilitating Houthi operations, he said, adding that Iran continues to defy the Council's resolutions by supplying the Houthis with military and intelligence support.
The Russian Federation's delegate said that after each unacceptable missile or drone attack by the Houthis, West Jerusalem carries out a disproportionate retribution, causing civilian deaths. Israel must recognize that the only way to ensure a region wide de-escalation is through an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of all hostages and detained Palestinians as well as the lifting of the humanitarian blockade. The road map for a Yemeni settlement — previously agreed upon with assistance from Saudi Arabia and Oman — remains relevant, he said calling for an inclusive intra-Yemeni dialogue with all parties including the Houthis.
International Community Must Take Firmer Stances towards Houthi Militias
The representative of Yemen, detailing the "destructive and escalatory approach" employed by the Houthis over the last 11 years, said: "All of this is a part of the Houthis' strategy to prolong the conflict, to exacerbate humanitarian suffering, in order to enforce the agenda of their Iranian sponsor." Adding that this "catastrophic project" is "dragging Yemen into total devastation", he stressed that the only way to achieve peace and stability in his country and the region is by ending the coup and restoring State authority. "Peace cannot be limited to crisis management," he cautioned, underscoring: "This conflict must not be repeated."
He therefore called on the Council and the international community to "take firmer stances towards the Houthi militias so they accept peace and abandon their claim of divine right to rule Yemenis". He, too, condemned the Houthis' raid of UN offices, seizure of assets and abduction of staff members, observing that the Houthis "feel that they enjoy impunity" and are "further emboldened" by the lack of a firm international position on stopping these violations. "Today, condemnations are in vain", he underscored, urging that "concrete" measures be taken against these abductions. He also repeated the Government's call for the UN to relocate its offices to the temporary capital of Aden.
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