UN announces roadmap to end Yemen conflict

The United Nations (UN) announced today that parties to the conflict in Yemen had reached a commitment to a set of measures as part of a roadmap aimed at ending the war. 

The Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen published a statement which said: “Following a series of meetings with the parties in Riyadh and Muscat, including with the [Chairman] of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Rashad al Alimi, and [Houthis] chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, welcomes the parties’ commitment to a set of measures.” 

The measures include implementing a nation-wide ceasefire, improving living conditions in Yemen, and engaging in preparations for the resumption of an inclusive political process under UN auspices.

The statement said that the UN envoy will work with the parties at the current stage to develop a roadmap under UN auspices that includes these commitments and supports their implementation.

According to the statement, “the UN roadmap will include, among other elements, the parties’ commitment to implement a nationwide ceasefire, pay all public sector salaries, resume oil exports, open roads in Taiz and other parts of Yemen, and further ease restrictions on Sanaa Airport and the Hodeidah port."

“The roadmap will also establish implementation mechanisms and prepare for a Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices”, the statement added.

The statement highlighted Grundberg’s appreciation for the active roles played by Saudi Arabia and Oman in supporting the parties to reach this point.

UN envoy Hans Grundberg said: “Thirty million Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to provide for tangible results and progress towards lasting peace.”

The announcement comes following marathon talks that took place between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with Omani mediation, lasting several months.

The aforementioned roadmap had previously been informally announced by Saudi Arabia, in April 2023. 

Recently, sources told South24 Center that PLC members had agreed to a roadmap to resolve the crisis in Yemen, which Riyadh presented to them verbally during a meeting involving PLC members and the Saudi Minister of Defense, Prince Khaled bin Salman.

At the time of this article’s writing, the main Yemeni parties, including the Houthis, the Yemeni government, and the Southern Transitional Council (STC), had not yet commented on the UN announcement.

Sources told South24 Center that there are still differences regarding the various parties’ interpretations of the roadmap texts.

Speaking to South24 Center, sources close to the STC reported that the council is against granting salaries to Houthi-controlled employees using South Yemen’s resources.

The finalized UN roadmap will likely be announced early next year, according to politicians close to the Houthis.

For nine years, Yemen has experienced a devastating war, causing the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, according to previous UN estimates. More than two hundred thousand Yemenis have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as a direct result of the conflict.   

The war began in 2014 when the Houthi militia, supported by Iran, took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and expelled the state's leadership, including former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. In response, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition intervened to support the internationally recognized government.