Ansar Allah’s latest attacks across several frontlines have triggered increasingly intense clashes, threatening to further expand the conflict. This is an extremely alarming development.
Reports of civilians killed and injured, families displaced and civilian infrastructure damaged are deeply troubling. Yemen has already endured more than a decade of conflict, and a return to sustained large-scale fighting will carry grave consequences for civilians and make an already difficult path toward a political settlement even harder.
Yemenis’ demands for security, functioning institutions and a future beyond this conflict require a credible political path capable of addressing the political, security and economic issues at the core of the conflict.
I call on the parties to cease all hostilities, exercise maximum restraint, and make full use of existing channels, including the UN’s Military Coordination Committee, to prevent further escalation. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.
I will continue engaging directly with the parties with the aim of containing the current escalation and preserving space for dialogue. I also call on regional and international actors to use their influence toward these objectives, and to support a return to political negotiations.
