The Yemeni government has revealed it recently thwarted a plot by the Houthi militia to assassinate UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg. The operation was reportedly planned by a Houthi cell described as one of the most dangerous assassination networks operating in liberated areas, according to Yemen’s official news agency (SABA).
Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, stated that the plot was intended to create chaos in government-controlled regions and cast doubt on the state’s ability to provide security.
Grundberg, a Swedish diplomat, has served as the UN’s Special Envoy to Yemen since August 2021, following the tenure of Martin Griffiths of the UK.
Speaking during a meeting in Aden with the head of the European delegation to Yemen and several EU ambassadors, Al-Alimi said that Yemeni intelligence had uncovered a Houthi cell responsible for the killing of a World Food Programme staff member in Taiz, as well as other attacks on activists, journalists, and civilians.
He claimed the same group was preparing to target Grundberg as part of a broader effort to destabilize liberated provinces.
Asharq Al-Awsat reached out to the UN Envoy’s office for comment on the alleged plot and whether any additional security measures had been taken, but received no response at the time of publication.
Al-Alimi also briefed European diplomats on Yemen’s worsening economic crisis, aggravated by Houthi attacks on oil infrastructure and shipping.
“This is not only a military war, but also an economic battle to protect millions of livelihoods,” he said.
Since Houthi strikes halted oil exports, Yemen has lost nearly 70% of its public revenue. The government is now working to make up for this through domestic sources.
He warned that the Houthis continue to wage economic war by printing unauthorized currency and deepening financial divisions.
“This is a calculated attempt to collapse the economy,” Al-Alimi said, describing the group as a transnational threat involved in assassinations, smuggling, and hostage-taking.
He urged the EU to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group and adopt firm measures to isolate them as an armed entity operating outside international law.
