UN envoy for Yemen warns of Red Sea escalation, calls for renewed negotiations

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 24th Jul, 2026) The UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has expressed alarm over the resumption of attacks by the Houthi group on commercial shipping and the renewed disruption of maritime navigation in the Red Sea, warning that the current escalation risks pushing Yemen towards further confrontation and undermining prospects for a political settlement.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the Special Envoy said he had engaged intensively over the past weeks with Yemeni, regional and international stakeholders, stressing that his priority remains to preserve the gains of the 2022 truce, prevent a return to wider conflict, and create the conditions for an inclusive political process.

"Escalatory actions risk putting Yemen on a path toward further confrontation, drawing the country deeper into an already volatile regional environment, and deepening the suffering of the Yemeni people," he warned.

The UN envoy stressed that it is still possible to change course and move towards negotiations that address Yemen's political, economic and security challenges and put the interests of its people at the centre.

"A negotiated political settlement in Yemen would also contribute to greater stability in the region," he added.