Yemen's president in letter to UN chief criticizes his envoy

Published May 24, 2019

People inspect the site of an airstrike by Saudi-led coalition forces, in Sanaa, Yemen, Thursday, May, 16, 2019. Yemen's human rights minister says heavy fighting is underway in the country's south as rebel Houthis push to gain more territory from government forces and their allies. The clashes come as the Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, earlier on Thursday, targeting the Houthis and killing at least three civilians. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

Yemen's president has sent a letter to the U.N. chief criticizing his envoy to the war-torn Arab country over allegedly siding with the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's letter to António Guterres was released late Thursday.

In the letter, Hadi claims that actions by U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths undermine chances for peace and warns the internationally recognized government would stop dealing with Griffths.

Tensions arose between Griffiths and Hadi last week after the U.N. announced the long-delayed Houthi withdrawal from the flashpoint port city of Hodeida.

Hadi's government accused Griffiths at the time of turning a blind eye that the rebels had allegedly only handed control of the port to "militia leaders" loyal to them.

The "redeployment of Houthis" from Hodeida was part of a U.N.-brokered deal.

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