Ould Cheikh: Houthis’ Ballistic Missiles a Dangerous Escalation

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on August 8, 2016. / AFP PHOTO
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on August 8, 2016. / AFP PHOTO
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Ould Cheikh: Houthis’ Ballistic Missiles a Dangerous Escalation

United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on August 8, 2016. / AFP PHOTO
United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during a press conference with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on August 8, 2016. / AFP PHOTO

New York- UN special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed criticized Houthis for launching ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, and condemned the recent insurgent threats to expand the firing of missiles towards Gulf countries, saying such behaviors were considered an “extremely dangerous escalation.”

Speaking on Yemen’s situation at the UN Security Council, the envoy announced his plan to revive talks between the Yemeni warring parties by suggesting a comprehensive initiative for a solution in the war-torn country.

“I am currently working on a comprehensive plan that includes humanitarian initiatives to rebuild trust as well as bringing the parties back to the negotiations table,” he said.

Following his statement at the Security Council, Ould Cheikh told Asharq Al-Awsat that he plans to present his initiative to the concerned parties during a meeting that might be held soon in Geneva.

He added that his plan also involves enhancing the authorities of the port city of Hodeida and to pay the salaries of all employees across Yemen.

The envoy called on member states and the international community to offer their assistance in this regard.

“We hope this commitment will translate into action and deepen their engagement with me on the basis of these initiatives in order to reach a peaceful political solution,” he said, adding that the conflict in Yemen is creating a desperate situation in every facet of daily life.

Ould Cheikh urged the Security Council to use all of its political and economic power to exert pressure on all parties to commit to a peace pact.

The envoy spoke about an air strike ona residential suburb in Sana’a on 25 August, which had claimed the lives of 14 civilians and injured 16 others, while shelling from Houthi-controlled zones of residential areas in Taiz city on September 15 and 18 had killed and injured tens of civilians.

For his part, French ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre, who is president of the Security Council for October, told reporters following the session that Council members reiterated their support for a political solution as the only way to end the conflict in Yemen and their call on all parties to immediately agree on the modalities for a durable cessation of hostilities.



Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
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Sudan's Military Accepts UN Proposal of a Weeklong Ceasefire in El Fasher for Aid Distribution

The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)
The wreckage of cars lie on the remains of the Shambat Bridge, which connects Omdurman and Bahri, on June 24, 2025 in the Sudanese capital region. (AFP)

Sudan's military agreed to a proposal from the United Nations for a weeklong ceasefire in El Fasher to facilitate UN aid efforts to the area, the army said Friday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and asked him for the humanitarian truce in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, to allow aid delivery.

Burhan agreed to the proposal and stressed the importance of implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, but it’s unknown whether the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces would agree and comply with the ceasefire.

“We are making contacts with both sides with that objective, and that was the fundamental reason for that phone contact. We have a dramatic situation in El Fasher,” Guterres told reporters on Friday.

No further details were revealed about the specifics of the ceasefire, including when it could go into effect.

Sudan plunged into war in April 2023 when simmering tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into battles in the capital, Khartoum, and spread across the country, killing more than 20,000 people.

The war has also driven more than 14 million people from their homes and pushed parts of the country into famine. UNICEF said earlier this year that an estimated 61,800 children have been internally displaced since the war began.

Guterres said on Friday that a humanitarian truce is needed for effective aid distribution, and it must be agreed upon several days in advance to prepare for a large-scale delivery in the El Fasher area, which has seen repeated waves of violence recently.

El Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is under the control of the military. The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for a year to solidify its control over the entire Darfur region. The paramilitary’s attempts included launching repeated attacks on the city and two major famine-stricken displacement camps on its outskirts.