Yemen – UN envoy informs Security Council of Houthi refusal to lift siege on Taiz
The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has informed the Security Council that he has not received a response to a proposal approved by the Yemeni government to open roads to the besieged city of Taiz.
This came during the security session on Tuesday, where the UN envoy confirmed that after two rounds of deliberations on the options presented by each side, he presented to the parties a proposal to gradually open the roads in Taiz and other places.
“I was encouraged by the positive response I received from the Yemeni government and I am still waiting for a response from the Houthis”, Hans Grundberg said in his briefing, referring to the militia’s rejection of a proposal to lift the siege of Taiz by opening some roads.
Hans Grundberg explained to the Security Council his plans for the coming period, including working with the parties to support and implement all elements of the truce, and to reach more sustainable solutions.
The U.N. envoy spoke about the subsequent start of negotiations on the economic and security tracks and stressed the need for this work to move towards a political settlement.
Grundberg noted that the truce had been extended until August 2, and said it was holding after two and a half months, with Yemen seeing a reduction in fighting and a general reduction in civilian casualties.
However, the number of civilian casualties from landmines is increasing and parties continue to report alleged violations.
The UN envoy noted that his office held two meetings of the Military Coordination Committee, which included the parties as well as the Coalition Joint Command. The committee agreed to meet monthly and establish a joint coordination room to address important issues in a timely manner.
Eight round-trip flights are taking place between Sanaa Airport, Egypt and Jordan, carrying more than 2,700 Yemeni passengers, he said.
He said that since the truce began, the volume of fuel entering through the port of Hodeida has exceeded that of fuel throughout 2021.
