Aden – The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has issued a stark warning that escalating regional tensions threaten to transform Yemen into a theater for broader geopolitical conflict, undermining fragile peace efforts and deepening the humanitarian crisis.

Speaking before the UN Security Council earlier this week, Grundberg emphasized that while large-scale hostilities within Yemen have subsided since the 2022 truce, recent developments—including cross-border attacks, maritime confrontations, and foreign military interventions—risk reigniting violence and destabilizing the region.

“The conflict in Yemen is not isolated,” Grundberg stated. “It is deeply intertwined with broader regional dynamics, and recent developments risk turning Yemen into a battleground for external actors”.

The warning comes amid heightened instability in the Red Sea and renewed hostilities between regional powers. Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes and retaliatory strikes by Western and Israeli forces have raised fears of a cascading escalation. Grundberg also cited the recent targeting of oil infrastructure and civilian areas as signs of deteriorating restraint.

Diplomatic efforts led by the UN have facilitated prisoner exchanges and economic de-escalation agreements, but Grundberg cautioned that these gains remain fragile. “Yemen’s peace cannot be sustained in a vacuum,” he said, urging all parties to recommit to dialogue and avoid actions that could derail the process.

Humanitarian agencies warn that renewed conflict could further restrict access to food, medicine, and shelter for the more than 21 million Yemenis in need of assistance. Grundberg concluded his address with a call for unity: “We must not allow regional turmoil to extinguish the fragile hope that has begun to take root in Yemen”.