UN Security Council backs new chief of mission in Yemen

The UN Security Council has endorsed the appointment of former Danish general Michael Lollesgaard to head the UN observer mission in war-wracked Yemen, AFP reported. After the voting held on Wednesday, Lollesgaard will replace Patrick Cammaert, the Dutch general who had been tapped a little over a month ago to lead the mission deployed in the Red Sea port city of Hodeida. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had told the council in a letter sent Monday that he planned to appoint Lollesgaard and gave the council 48 hours to raise objections. Earlier this month, the council approved the deployment of up to 75 monitors to Yemen for six months to shore up a fragile ceasefire and oversee a pullback of forces from Hodeida. UN envoy Martin Griffiths is due to brief the council on Thursday on his efforts to push the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi rebels to abide by a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden last month.