UN envoy Grundberg arrives in Sana'a

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, arrived in Sanaa, which is under Houthi militia control, on Monday, on his first visit in about two years.

The UN envoy's office said via the "X" platform that "Grundberg's visit comes within the framework of his ongoing efforts to urge the Houthis to take tangible and substantive measures to advance the peace process."

He said it was "part of his ongoing efforts to support the release of arbitrarily detained UN, NGO, civil society and diplomatic staff."

He continued: "The envoy plans to hold a series of national and regional meetings in the coming days as part of his mediation efforts."

The UN Special Envoy, Hans Grundberg, arrived in #Sanaa today following his meetings in Muscat, Oman. His visit is part of his ongoing efforts to urge Ansar Allah to take concrete and substantive steps to advance the peace process. It is also part of his ongoing efforts to support the release of arbitrarily detained…

- @OSE_Yemen (@OSE_Yemen) January 6, 2025

On Sunday, Grundberg concluded a visit to Muscat, during which he met with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of senior Omani officials, to discuss concerted efforts to promote peace in Yemen.

He also met in Muscat with the head of the Houthi militia negotiating delegation, Mohammed Abdul Salam, stressing that he "urged taking concrete measures to pave the way for a political process."

The UN envoy stressed the importance of de-escalation, "including the immediate and unconditional release of detained UN staff, civil society and diplomatic missions, as a necessary step to demonstrate commitment to peace efforts."