UN raises alarm on ‘dramatic deterioration’ in Yemen conflict

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths tells Security Council fighting must end to stop humanitarian crisis.

The United Nations special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has warned of a “dramatic” deterioration in the country’s long-running conflict, raising the alarm over the expansion of fighting on several fronts amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Speaking at a monthly briefing of the UN Security Council, Griffiths said on Tuesday an ongoing offensive by the Houthi rebels on Marib province – the last northern stronghold of Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government – was putting civilians, including an estimated one million internally displaced people, at risk. “Fighting forces on both sides have suffered heavy losses in this unnecessary battle,” he said, condemning “shocking” reports of “children increasingly getting drawn into the war effort and deprived of their future”.