Local Editor
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed former British diplomat Martin Griffiths as his new envoy charged with trying to broker peace in Yemen, the U.N. announced on Friday.
Guterres notified the U.N. Security Council of his intention to appoint Griffiths earlier this week and the 15-member council approved his choice on Thursday evening.
"Mr. Griffiths brings extensive experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation and humanitarian affairs," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.
Griffiths, currently executive director of the European Institute of Peace, replaces Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who the U.N. said would step down after three years in the job when his current contract finishes this month.
A Saudi Arabia-led coalition launched a military campaign against Yemen's in 2015, backing forces loyal to the resigned regime of former Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi fighting the Houthi revolutionaries. Yemen, which relies heavily on imports for food, is on the brink of famine and nearly 1 million people have been infected with cholera.
At least 13,000 thousand people have been killed in the Saudi-led aggression and much of the country’s infrastructure as well hospitals have been destroyed.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
