Yemen: UN special envoy welcomes release of abducted presidential aide

According to a note to the press issued by the spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Special Adviser on Yemen, Jamal Benomar, expressed great pleasure on today's release by Ansarallah of Ahmed Awadh Bin Mubarak, Director of the Office of the President, after Mr. Benomar's continuous mediation efforts.

The UN says that the Special Adviser remarked that this news would help reduce tensions and enable progress in the on-going negotiations that he has been facilitating. Further, Mr. Benomar urged Ansarallah to undertake steps that would be in the best interest of all political sides and the people of Yemen.

In the context of the daily meetings of all the signatories to the Peace and National Partnership Agreement that Mr. Benomar has been convening, he pressed all political parties to act responsibly and to give priority to the national interest in order to overcome the current crisis, said the UN.

Despite the formation of a new Government in November 2014 aimed at ending a period of political turbulence and bringing about a full transition towards democracy, Yemen continues to be plagued by violence and mass political demonstrations.

News of Mr. Mubarak's release after nearly 10 days being held captive comes as political tensions grip the country's capital, Sana'a. The Secretary-General and the UN Security Council have, in recent days, expressed concern about the situation and issued strong calls for calm, restraint and dialogue among the parties.

Just this past weekend, Mr. Ban voiced serious concern about developments following the resignation of the President and Prime Minister amid a takeover of the capital by Houthi militants. This followed a steady deterioration the previous week as Government forces clashed with Houthi militants throughout the capital.

UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz