UN envoy arrives in Sanaa for talks with Yemen rebels

SANAA, Yemen

The UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in rebel-held capital Sanaa on Monday, for the first time since taking office nine months ago.

A source at Sanaa Airport said Grundberg arrived in Sanaa from the Omani capital, Muscat.

Grundberg is scheduled to hold meetings with Houthi leaders, as part of UN efforts to reach a political agreement to end the nine-year conflict in Yemen.

The Yemeni government had earlier accused the Houthi group of refusing to meet with the UN envoy in Sanaa.

There was no comment from Houthi rebels on the UN envoy’s arrival in Sanaa.

Earlier this month, Grundberg managed to strike a two-month truce between Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to reinstate the Yemeni government, has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises. Nearly 80%, or about 30 million people, are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat