The Houthi delegation left Sanaa late Thursday afternoon. It must “continue consultations with the Saudi side,” the president of the Houthi rebel political council, Mahdi al-Mashat, told the rebel-controlled Saba news agency. “Peace has been and remains our first option and everyone must work to achieve it,” he added.
Omani mediation efforts resumed in April 2023. The challenge is to reach a new ceasefire or even a permanent ceasefire between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government. It was necessary the rapprochement of the two regional sponsors of the conflict thanks to Chinese efforts to revive hope.
From Sanaa, the capital under their control, the Houthis express the hope that this diplomatic advance inspires. “We must first address the humanitarian crisis by paying salaries to all civil servants, reopening the airport and ports and releasing all prisoners,” Mohammed Abdelsalam, the rebels’ chief negotiator, listed on rebel television Al Masirah. Next comes the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the reconstruction of Yemen before a comprehensive political solution is reached. »
Hope after eight years of war
These official talks between the rebels and Saudi Arabia coincide with efforts under the auspices of the United Nations. Violence has largely declined since a ceasefire negotiated by the United Nations in April 2022, which expired in October 2022 but is still more or less respected.
The war in Yemen has already left hundreds of thousands dead, displaced millions and plunged the country into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. 80% of the Yemeni population is now dependent on humanitarian aid. Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, has been in an eight-year war against the Houthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and other areas, and the government backed by a Riyadh-led military coalition.
Also listen to International Report – Yemen: After eight years of war, the lives of those displaced are still precarious
(And with AFP)