The UN Security Council on Thursday approved the appointment of Martin Griffiths of Britain as the new envoy for Yemen. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday informed the council of his intention to appoint Griffiths and no council member raised objections to the decision by a deadline set for Thursday, diplomats said. Griffiths, who is executive director of the Brussels-based European Institute of Peace, "brings extensive experience in conflict resolution, negotiation, mediation and humanitarian affairs," Guterres wrote in the letter. Griffiths will replace Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of Mauritania, who last month said he would not stay on as Yemen envoy beyond the end of his contract at the end of this month. As UN envoy since April 2015, Cheikh Ahmed failed to make progress in diplomatic efforts to end Yemen’s crisis.