UN Security Council backs envoy accused by Yemen leader

WASHINGTON

The UN Security Council threw its support behind Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen Martin Griffiths on Monday after he was embroiled in a dispute with Yemen's president.

Last month, Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi accused Griffiths of siding with the country’s Houthi rebels.

In a statement, the council called on the parties to "engage constructively and continuously with the Special Envoy".

The council's members praised Griffiths' efforts to back the parties to implement the Stockholm Agreement and to promote a political solution in Yemen, according to the statement.

The statement came after a meeting between Hadi and UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo in the Saudi capital Riyadh which tackled Griffiths' work toward the implementation of the agreement.

Signed in December in Sweden, the agreement provides a conduit for aid through Hodeidah, the demilitarization of Taiz and an exchange of prisoners.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated their call on the parties to continue broader implementation of the Stockholm Agreement, including full adherence to the ceasefire in Hodeidah governorate as well as the finalization of arrangements for the Prisoner Exchange Agreement and the statement of understanding on Taiz," said the statement.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa. The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

According to UN figures, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with more than 10 million people driven to the brink of famine. More than 22 million people in Yemen are desperate for humanitarian aid and protection.