UN Envoy to Yemen Stresses Need for Comprehensive Solutions, Inclusive Dialogue

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
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UN Envoy to Yemen Stresses Need for Comprehensive Solutions, Inclusive Dialogue

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg (OSESGY)

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has stressed the need for constructive discussions on political, military, and economic issues that concern all Yemenis.

The envoy concluded Thursday a three-day visit to Taiz governorate.

He held meetings in Taiz city, Turbah, and Mokha and discussed with a wide range of stakeholders the urgent necessity for an end to the conflict in Yemen.

In Taiz and Turbah, Grundberg met the Governor, Nabil Shamsan, political party representatives, civil society, members of parliament, business representatives, and journalists, who raised their concerns on the impact of the conflict, including targeting civilians in residential neighborhoods and severe restrictions on the safe and free movement of people and goods due to the continued road closures.

According to a statement issued by the envoy's office, they also discussed the sharp deterioration of the economy and essential services and its severe impact on businesses and families.

In Mokha, Grundberg met with the local authority, the Political Bureau of the National Resistance, and the al-Hirak al-Tihami, which highlighted the need for de-escalation, inclusivity, and the functioning of state institutions.

"These visits have given me a first-hand experience of the impact of the conflict on civilians in Taiz, including the difficulties they face moving through their daily lives," said Grundberg.

"It has also given me the opportunity to hear directly from Yemeni men, women, and young people on how a UN-led political process can help to address the situation in Taiz as part of a sustainable solution to the conflict in Yemen."

A statement issued by the Southern Transitional Council stated that the envoy met in Aden Chairman Aidarous Qassem al-Zubaidi. The meeting addressed political, economic, and military developments and discussed a comprehensive peace process.

He also reiterated the importance of implementing the economic part of the Riyadh Agreement to address the financial crisis and prevent the collapse of the economy and the exchange rate.

He warned that pivotal measures would exacerbate the situation and push it towards the unknown.

The media center of the political bureau, the political arm of the National Resistance Forces, said that Brigadier-General Tareq Saleh discussed with the UN envoy several issues related to the Yemeni crisis.

The talks addressed the attack of the Houthi militias on Marib and the role of the international community in implementing the Stockholm Agreement to protect the interests of civilians and stop the violations committed by the insurgents.

Saleh told the UN envoy that if the international community wanted to reach a political solution in Yemen, it should stop the Iranian-backed Houthi attack on Marib.

He renewed his call for the participation of all political parties in the dialogue, saying it is the gateway to real and lasting peace.



Houthis Believed to Be Holding Six Crew from Greek Ship Sunk in Red Sea

A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
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Houthis Believed to Be Holding Six Crew from Greek Ship Sunk in Red Sea

A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT
A screen grab taken from a handout video released by the Houthis military media center on 08 July 2025 shows Houthi fighters aboard the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Magic Seas, in the Red Sea off the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen, 06 July 2025. EPA/HOUTHIS MILITARY MEDIA CENTER / HANDOUT

Yemen’s Houthi forces are believed to be holding six of the 22 crew of a Greek ship that the militia attacked and sank in the Red Sea earlier this week, maritime security sources said on Thursday.

The Houthis had said on Wednesday they had rescued a number of the ship's crew, without providing further details, Reuters reported.

Maritime security sources said that rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, a day after the Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.

This brings the total number of those rescued so far to 10, including eight Filipino crew members, one Indian and one Greek security guard. The people found on Thursday had spent more than 48 hours in the water. Another 11 people are still missing.

"This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct," said Nikos Georgopoulos, an official at the Greece-based maritime risk firm Diaplous.

Eternity C is the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen. The attacks, which Houthis say are an act of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, have ended months of calm in the area.

The United States' Mission in Yemen has accused the Houthis of kidnapping crew members and has called for their immediate release.

On Wednesday, the Houthis' military spokesperson said in a televised address that the Yemeni navy had "responded to rescue a number of the ship's crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location".

The Eternity C sank on Wednesday days after Houthis hit and sunk the Magic Seas, reviving a campaign launched in November 2023 that has seen more than 100 ships attacked.

Both of the vessels hit this week flew Liberian flags and were operated by Greek companies. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it went down.

Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people are presumed dead, with maritime security sources saying they were killed in the attacks. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.

Following a second attack on Tuesday morning, the crew were forced to jump into the water. Rescuers have been searching for them since Wednesday morning.

The vessel's operator, Cosmoship Management, has not responded to Reuters' requests for comment.