Following a briefing to the Security Council and meetings in Riyadh with the Hadi government, UN Envoy Ould Cheikh said he is “currently exploring significant steps that each side can take to restore confidence and move towards a viable negotiated settlement.” However, despite talk of new humanitarian initiatives, both Foreign Minister Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi and Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said the envoy had not presented them specific details outlining a path forward. On the humanitarian front, the rate of newly reported suspected cholera cases steadily declined in October, but nevertheless Yemen remains on track to reach 1 million cumulative cases by the end of the year. Meanwhile, 78% of Yemen’s 15,826 functioning schools have been impacted by the strikes being launched by teachers at the beginning of what is now the second school year many education sector employees are not receiving salaries.
