UN Envoy Asserts Need to Work Toward Political Process in Yemen

A previous meeting between Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi and UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg (Saba)
A previous meeting between Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi and UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg (Saba)
TT

UN Envoy Asserts Need to Work Toward Political Process in Yemen

A previous meeting between Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi and UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg (Saba)
A previous meeting between Presidential Leadership Council chair Rashad al-Alimi and UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg (Saba)

The Office of the Special Envoy of the Sec-Gen said Hans Grundberg concluded a visit to Riyadh, where he held constructive meetings with Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al Jaber and diplomats from the Security Council's permanent members.

The discussions focused on options to renew the truce and work toward a political process in Yemen as a matter of urgency.

The Yemeni government and the Presidential Leadership Council approved Grundberg's proposal to renew and expand the truce. However, the Iran-backed Houthis rejected the proposal, demanding more gains, which the Security Council described as "extremist demands."

Earlier, Grundberg visited Oman and met with officials and the Houthi militia spokesman, Mohammad Abdulsalam Felita, without revealing the results of his discussions.

Yemeni observers fear that the UN envoy's moves aim to extract new concessions from Yemen’s government and the Leadership Council, which recently decided to classify the Houthis as a terrorist group.

Despite the relative calm on the battlefronts, the UN accused the Houthis of committing war crimes, especially in Taiz, since the truce ended last month.

The Yemeni army's military media confirmed that it repelled militia attacks and downed several drones in Shabwa and Marib.

Houthi leaders threaten to launch more attacks to prevent oil export from the ports on the Arabian Sea, while the Yemeni government asserts that it will protect the assets.

The international community awaits Grundberg's efforts to revive the collapsed truce.

However, the Houthi militia responded to the Security Council's statement condemning its attack on the Dhabba oil port in Hadramout by threatening to expand the attacks, saying that all options are open for a broader range of strict measures.

There are fears that the Houthi intransigence would reignite the clashes on various fronts after a relative calm throughout the six months of the truce that began on April 2. The militias refused to extend it for the third time on October 2.

The Yemeni government welcomed the recent Security Council condemnation, pointing to "the urgent need to deter the Houthi militias and their actions that threaten regional and international peace and security."

Meanwhile, the Saudi Project for Landmine Clearance in Yemen (Masam) reported that during the first week of November, it dismantled 1,119 mines planted by the militias in various regions of Yemen, including six anti-mines personnel, 286 anti-tank mines, 816 unexploded ordnance, and 11 explosive devices.

A total of 371,236 mines have been cleared since the beginning of the project.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
TT

EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
TT

Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
TT

Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.