UN envoy says return to war in Yemen “real”

The U.N. envoy for Yemen warned that the risk of a return to fighting “is real,” urging warring parties to accept a longer extension of the current ceasefire due to expire next month.
Hans Grundberg’s stark warning late Tuesday came after he met in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally recognized presidential council, and in Oman’s capital of Muscat with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator of the Houthi rebels. He also met with Saudi and Omani officials to push for a cease-fire extension.
Grundberg said in a statement he discussed a U.N. proposal to renew the truce for a longer time “to give Yemenis the opportunity to make progress on a wider basket of priorities.”