UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Friday warned against complacency over the success of UN-brokered Yemen talks, saying "a terrible tragedy is unfolding" in the country.
"This week's success must not lead to complacency -- in fact it must do the opposite. Commitments must be implemented. Working toward peace must be accelerated. In the meantime, millions of Yemenis still desperately need assistance and protection," Lowcock told the Security Council, referring to progress in UN-brokered intra-Yemeni talks in Sweden.
After a week of "consultations" in Sweden, the Yemeni warring parties have agreed to stop fighting in the rebel-held port city of Hudaydah, on which millions of Yemenis depend for imports of food and fuel.
But Lowcock warned that there is a long way to go despite the success in Sweden.
"I have earlier today chaired another detailed discussion on Yemen with the heads of all the key UN and other operational humanitarian agencies. Our collective assessment is that the good news we have heard this week has not yet had any material impact on the millions of people who need assistance," he told the council. "The lesson is two-fold: progress is absolutely possible, but we need much more of it right now."
Yemen has been in civil war in the past three years, pitting Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Saudi Arabia leads a military coalition to support the Hadi government.
