Yemen: UN Warns Of 'Dangerous Escalatory Cycle'

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Facts

• The UN Special Representative for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, called for immediate action in the UN Security Council on Wednesday to end the 'dangerous escalatory cycle' in the Red Sea region urging all relevant actors to resume the peace process in war-torn Yemen.¹
• Grundberg expressed concern about rising tensions following the war in Gaza, including the Red Sea military escalation and US-UK airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Peace efforts are also hampered by 'worrying developments' in Yemen, such as clashes, mobilizations, and casualties, the UN official said.²
• Three things needed to happen in the short term to resolve the crisis, Grundberg told the Security Council. He called for regional de-escalation, for all parties to refrain from 'military opportunism' and to secure the progress made toward a mediation agreement.³
• In 2015, the Iran-aligned Houthis began fighting a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, after taking over large parts of Yemen forcing the internationally recognized government to retreat to Aden in the country's south. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the fighting as well as from disease and malnutrition.⁴
• In December, the warring parties agreed to resume 'an inclusive political process' to resolve the Yemen crisis, the UN said. However, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as well as US-led retaliatory measures ended those efforts.⁵
• Meanwhile, UN Relief Operations Director Edem Wosornu warned that the US move to return the Houthis to a list of terrorist groups risks harming Yemen's already fragile economy, including commercial imports of vital goods. According to the UN, more than 18M people in Yemen are dependent on humanitarian aid.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Middle East Monitor, ³OSESGY, ⁴Trtworld, ⁵NDTV.com and ⁶FOX News.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by almayadeen.net. While this call for de-escalation is welcomed, it fails to address the root cause of the increasing violence in Yemen and the Red Sea. The operations of the Axis of Resistance — including the Houthis — are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, who are being subjected to merciless, US-backed Israeli aggression. The pointless regional escalation is Washington's desperate and self-destructive attempt to distract from Gaza. Until Israel ends its brutal campaign, there will be no regional peace.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by ft.com. Grundberg's call for de-escalation is an important, albeit misleading, step as the US is merely conducting self-defense strikes against regional militant groups, including the Houthis. While the Houthis claim their Red Sea operations are in solidarity with the people of Gaza, they're primarily aimed at boosting their dwindling popularity and consolidating their repressive rule. The people of Yemen deserve peace, but war serves the Houthis better.