UN envoy to Yemen arrives in Aden for talks with gov’t officials

UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg arrived in the country's interim capital Aden on Monday for talks with government officials.

The UN envoy was accompanied by Yemeni Defense Minister Mohammad Ali Al-Maqdashi and Faraj Al-Bahsani, a member of the newly formed Presidential Council, a source at Aden Airport said.

On Sunday, Grundberg held talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with chairman of the Presidential Council Rashad Al-Alimi and Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak on the implementation of a two-month truce with Houthi rebels.

Monday's visit by the UN envoy came one day after government officials and a host of lawmakers had arrived in Aden on Sunday for talks on solving the 8-year conflict in Yemen.

On April 7, Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued an order to form the Presidential Council to lead the country through a transitional period.

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