While conflicts in Yemen and the wider region have become undeniably interlinked, UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg strongly believes that it is owed to Yemenis that resolving the conflict in their country is not made contingent upon the resolution of other issues.

Grundberg voiced his call for a separation of the Yemeni crisis from regional conflicts during his briefing to the UN Security Council on Monday.

“Needless to say, we meet at a particularly dangerous moment in the Middle East. The need for broader regional de-escalation is acute. I share the Secretary-General’s alarm about the very real danger of region-wide escalation and his urging to all parties for maximum restraint,” said Grundberg at the briefing.

“The region must, with the support of the international community, seek avenues for coexistence based on incremental trust-building, mutual security, and a departure from the zero-sum mentality of achieving victory at the expense of others,” he added.

“We cannot risk Yemen’s chance for peace becoming a collateral damage,” cautioned Grundberg.

The UN envoy also expressed worry about rising clashes and economic tensions between the Yemeni government and the Houthis.

“Instead of narrowing differences and building confidence...I am troubled by the apparent growing divergence between the parties,” said Grundberg.

“On the economic front, the parties are engaging in unilateral actions that risk further bifurcating the economic system,” he warned, noting that the disintegration of the currency in circulation in Houthi-run areas presents a real economic problem for the Yemeni people.

The diplomat moved on to assert that the challenges facing the Yemeni economy require a strategic and coordinated response in line with the long-term settlement of the conflict.

Grundberg admitted that his attempts to address the Yemeni crisis have faced obstacles due to regional events, such as the situation in Gaza and the Houthis’ attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, along with their recent US terrorism designation.