UN Envoy to Yemen: UN Mediation Requires Concerted Regional and International Support
The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said Wednesday that the United Nations' mediation to bring Yemenis together for sustainable peace requires combined regional and international support. Grundberg met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and several senior US officials in Washington. They discussed the progress in efforts to reach an agreement among Yemeni parties to establish a sustainable ceasefire across the country and resume a comprehensive political process under UN auspices. Grundberg emphasized the need to sustain consensus and unity among members of the Security Council and the broader international community throughout Yemen's quest for peace, recovery, and development.
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Gulf electricity market project's connection platform with Iraq, and the electricity exchanged with the neighboring country could contribute to energy sales volumes reaching up to $300 million annually. The plan is to expand the initiative to other countries, Prince Saud bin Nayef, the governor of Saudi Arabia's eastern province, said during the platform's inauguration at the GCC Interconnection Authority's headquarters in Al Dammam city. Launching the Gulf market electricity connection project with Iraq is deemed a promising step toward reaching other international networks.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU) said in a statement that the Houthi group, supported by Iran, still threatens Yemen's stability and security. They called on the group to actively engage with international efforts and peace initiatives to achieve lasting peace in Yemen and put the country on the path to recovery. This statement was issued following the 27th Joint Ministerial Council meeting between the GCC countries and the EU, held in Muscat, Oman, on October 9 and 10, 2023.
Abyan Governorate witnessed a massive demonstration on Wednesday, in solidarity with Gaza, denouncing the crimes of Israel against the Palestinian people. The demonstrators marched on some streets in Zanzibar, the capital of Abyan Governorate, carrying Palestinian flags. The demonstrators condemned the brutal murders and massacres committed by the "Zionist entity" in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem.
The Houthi group launched Katyusha rockets at one of the displacement camps in the Marib province, located in eastern Yemen. The Ministry of Interior's website reported yesterday that the group shelled the Swaida camp in the Marib, which accommodates displaced families. The attack caused material damage within the camp and affected several vehicles. No deaths or injuries were reported. Since the start of the war in 2015, over 4 million Yemenis have been displaced. Over one million displaced people fled to Marib.
