Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi met the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in Riyadh on Thursday, as the country grapples with fast-moving political and security shifts.
Al-Alimi has been holding talks aimed at locking in recent state gains in liberated provinces and averting a slide into a new internal conflict that could imperil the fragile peace process at a highly sensitive regional moment.
The meeting came amid rapidly evolving political and security developments in Yemen.
Al-Alimi stressed that the sovereign measures taken by the state did not represent a departure from the peace process, but rather a necessary step to protect it from fragmentation and to deter attempts to impose new realities by force that threaten social peace and the unity of state institutions.
According to official media, the Presidential Leadership Council chairman was briefed by the UN envoy on the results of his recent contacts and on developments in coordinated efforts with the international community to revive the political process in line with agreed references, which the Iran-backed Houthi group has overturned.
Al-Alimi and Grundberg discussed local developments, including unilateral moves in some eastern provinces and accompanying escalation measures by the Southern Transitional Council, which Al-Alimi described as a direct threat to social peace and a potential source of regional instability.
Al-Alimi praised UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ characterization of the recent events as unilateral actions with serious repercussions, and his holding the Southern Transitional Council fully responsible. He said the UN position helped clarify the background to the new escalation for the international community.
Restoring military camps
According to official sources, Al-Alimi briefed the UN envoy on developments on the ground, stressing that the state had exhausted all avenues of dialogue and containment before taking its decisions, and that the primary objective was to protect civilians, prevent division, and spare Yemen a new internal war.
He confirmed the success of the operation to take control of military camps in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahrah, as well as other southern provinces, in a peaceful and disciplined manner, in coordination with local authorities and with full support from the Saudi-led coalition backing the legitimate government.
Al-Alimi told the UN envoy that the operation marked a turning point in restoring the authority of state institutions and deterring any attempt to militarize political life, reassuring the international community of the smooth implementation of the process and its arrival in the temporary capital Aden under a coordinated plan.
He said extending state authority across all liberated provinces would open safe corridors for humanitarian aid, reduce restrictions on the work of relief organizations, and pave the way for improved living conditions and the provision of basic goods and services.
Al-Alimi reiterated the council’s and the government’s commitment to a comprehensive peace process and full openness to the UN envoy’s efforts, calling on the United Nations to play a more effective role, particularly by activating sanctions mechanisms against those obstructing the political process and by safeguarding Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also praised the United Nations’ role in sponsoring detainee negotiations in Muscat, which resulted in a humanitarian agreement to release around 2,900 detainees, and affirmed the government’s readiness to provide all necessary facilitation for the release of UN and international organization staff held by the Houthis.
