“It should be obvious to everyone just how high the stakes have become”, said Hans Grundberg, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, recalling attacks in January by Ansar Allah – also known as the Houthis – on the UAE.
For Yemenis, the past month was marked by a multiplication of frontlines and an “appalling” record number of civilian casualties, Mr. Grundberg said. A coalition airstrike on a detention facility in Sadaa, which killed or injured more than 300 detainees, was among the worst incidents in three years.
He described the sharp increase in airstrikes, including on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in Sana’a and the crucial port city of Hudaydah, stressing that the war is also being fought in the economic arena, as the two sides and their allies battle over resources, trade flows through the Red Sea port, and monetary policy.