Aden (South24)

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The office of the United Nations (UN) envoy to Yemen, represented by Deputy Envoy Sarhad Fatah, met with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak and Defense Minister Lieutenant General Mohsen Al-Daeri on Wednesday.

Prime Minister bin Mubarak, as reported by the official Saba news agency, criticized the UN and international community’s current approach to dealing with the Houthis, and the organizations’ “tolerance of the Houthis violations and crimes that have reached campaigns of repression, kidnapping and abuse against international and international staff.”

“This will not lead to peace,” bin Mubarak told the UN Envoy's office, emphasizing that the Houthis are obstructing economic agreements, which, in turn, is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Bin Mubarak’s reiterated the government's position and positive engagement with all regional and international efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement, based on locally agreed upon references and regional and international support.

In a separate discussion with the UN Envoy's office, Saba reported that Defense Minister Al-Daeri addressed what he described as “the continued attacks by the terrorist Houthi militia on commercial ships and international shipping routes in light of regional developments.”

“The meeting also addressed the issue of kidnappers and detainees and their suffering in Houthi militia prisons. Al-Daeri reaffirmed the government's position to release everyone in exchange for everyone,” the report added.

Meanwhile, in Riyadh, Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, held talks today with British Ambassador to Yemen Abda Sharif.

According to Saba, the meeting covered “the path for government reforms and the international support needed to counteract the severe impact of Houthi attacks on oil facilities and shipping.”

The previous day, in Sanaa, Houthi Foreign Minister Jamal Amer accused Saudi Arabia of blocking the signing of a Yemeni crisis resolution roadmap, allegedly under US pressure tied to recent Houthi naval maneuvers. 

This statement was made during Amer's meeting with UN Envoy advisor Fatima Al-Zahraa Lanqi, as reported by the Houthi-controlled Saba.

In December 2023, the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced a roadmap for resolving the Yemeni conflict following months of bilateral talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.

Grundberg’s statement confirmed that the parties had agreed to a series of measures, including implementing a nationwide ceasefire, steps to improving living conditions in the country, and plans to resume a comprehensive political dialogue under UN auspices.

However, the signing of the roadmap has not yet taken place due to a number of factors, chief among them the Houthi escalation in the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Red Sea.