Emmanuel Thomas, DPA, Wednesday, May 17, 2023
JEDDAH – A ceasefire in war-hit Yemen must be brokered by the United Nations, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.
This would be necessary to create “a lasting and stable peace,” she told reporters after a meeting with Yemeni counterpart Ahmed bin Mubarak in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
“To achieve this, all parties must be involved,” she added, saying it was essential that they support the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.
Baerbock also met the UN Coordinator for Yemen, David Gressly, in Jeddah to discuss the humanitarian catastrophe in the Arab world’s poorest country after eight years of civil war.
The German government estimates 67% of Yemen’s population need aid, which amounts to 21 million people including around 11 million children. Every night around 400,000 children go to bed hungry in Yemen, Berlin says.
“It is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world,” Baerbock added.
A civil war in name, the Yemeni conflict is in fact a proxy war, with the Saudi Arabian-backed government fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels along with other smaller groups.
A thaw in relations between the Saudis and Iranians in March have increased the chances of peace in Yemen. Saudi Arabia is seeking a way out of the costly war, which the UN estimates has killed at least 377,000 people.
Baerbock next travels to Qatar. Germany was one of the biggest critics of the country hosting last year’s men’s football World Cup following reports of migrant worker deaths and mistreatment.
