UN Photo/E.Debebe Hans Grundberg (on screen), the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, reports to the Security Council on the situation in the country. Photo from the archive UN envoy: Yemen has entered a new and more dangerous phase of war Peace and security
The Ansar Allah movement captured the port city of Moha on the western coast of Yemen, gaining direct access to the approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the most important sea routes in the world. The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, reported this to the Security Council on Thursday.
Moha is located about 75 kilometers from the strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Much of the world’s trade and energy supplies pass through this narrow sea corridor.
Battles continue and the situation is rapidly changing, Grundberg said. However, the Houthis’ takeover of the city has already caused serious international concern as the situation threatens freedom of navigation.
“When I testified before the Council last month, I warned that Yemen faced the most serious threat of a return to large-scale conflict since the 2022 truce. Now this threat has become a harsh reality,” said the Special Envoy.
Over the past 24 hours, fighting has intensified in several directions, especially on the strategically important west coast. The current offensive is a continuation of the escalation that began in the first days of September with large-scale attacks by Ansar Allah in the provinces of Taiz and Hodeidah. Clashes then spread to Marib, Jawf and Beida.
Civilian deaths were reported in several provinces. Shelling of displaced persons’ sites in Marib reportedly killed children and destroyed temporary shelters. According to humanitarian organizations, more than 11,400 families have been forced to flee their homes across the country since September 3, most of them living in Taiz and southern Hodeidah.
Ansar Allah also struck Saudi Arabia’s civilian and energy infrastructure, leaving dozens of civilians injured. The UN condemned these attacks. Grundberg called on the movement to stop attacks both inside Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and to stop attacks and threats against commercial shipping.
The renewed war effectively ended the relative calm that had prevailed in Yemen for more than four years after a UN-brokered truce, the envoy said.
“This situation was not inevitable: the demands of the Yemenis can be discussed at the negotiating table,” Grundberg emphasized. He said that he would continue contacts with the Yemeni government, representatives of Ansar Allah and the countries of the region.