News - Yemen: The Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs has affirmed that the UN envoy’s statement regarding the new currency once again confirms his absolute bias toward the Saudi-led coalition of aggression and its mercenaries, as well as his deviation from the mandate entrusted to him as a neutral mediator.

This came in a statement condemning the remarks made by the UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, regarding the issuance of the new currency, which adopted the same narrative as that of the countries of aggression and their tools.

“The UN envoy’s statement is unacceptable as it aligns with the statements issued by some of the aggression countries, particularly the US, Britain, and France,” the ministry said.

It clarified that the Central Bank in Sana’a issued the new currency based on financial and professional studies, considering it a replacement for damaged banknotes, with no monetary or economic repercussions.

The statement noted that this urgent decision came after negotiations on this issue reached a deadlock due to the intransigence, procrastination, and lack of seriousness from the aggression states and the mercenary government, despite ten years of daily suffering endured by Yemeni citizens due to the deteriorated currency.

The ministry further stated that Sana’a had agreed to the proposal of forming a joint economic committee to manage national resources and deposit revenues into a special account designated for paying salaries. This would have resolved all issues, but the committee never materialized due to the other pro-Saudi side’s non-cooperation. Nevertheless, this did not prompt the UN envoy to issue any statement expressing concern about that matter.

“We remind the UN envoy that the aggression states and their mercenaries have waged an all-out economic war on Yemen alongside the military aggression, carrying out numerous unilateral measures that severely harmed the Yemeni people and led to the collapse of the currency in the occupied areas due to rampant corruption, including printing billions in unbacked currency," the statement added. "These are the actions that should have been criticized and condemned by the UN envoy.”

The reaction to the UN envoy Hans Grundberg’s statement on Yemen’s new currency issue has sparked widespread criticism, with many viewing it as a reflection of the UN’s growing bias toward the aggression countries. Grundberg’s remarks, which labeled the Central Bank of Sana’a’s issuance of a new 50-riyal coin and 200-riyal notes as “unilateral actions,” have been dismissed as unfounded and politically motivated.

The Central Bank’s decision was not an economic maneuver or a destabilizing act but a necessary step to replace worn-out currency and ensure smoother commercial transactions. The introduction of the new currency did not add to the overall money supply, but rather aimed to stabilize the local economy and shield consumers from the impact of currency shortages.

This controversy underscores the larger issue of how international mediation, rather than remaining neutral, is often perceived as siding with economic measures that further harm ordinary Yemenis, deepening the suffering caused by years of conflict and blockade.