UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 11 (UPI) — Talks seeking to end the Yemen conflict will resume next week, the United Nations announced Friday.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UN special envoy for Yemen, said representatives of the Yemeni government, Houthi rebels and the country’s former ruling party would meet in for UN-mediated peace talks. He congratulated all sides for their willingness to attend.
Houthi militias, backed by Iran, overtook much of the country earlier in the year, ousting President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi. A coalition of Arab military forces, led by Saudi Arabia, sent troops into Yemen and launched airstrikes beginning in March in an attempt to return the exiled president to power. Hadi is among those who will attend the talks.
The discussions will center on a framework for a ceasefire and the peaceful political transition of the government, though prior attempts at a negotiated settlement to the conflict have failed. More than 4,500 people have died since the conflict began, leaving Yemen, among the poorest of Arab countries, in a humanitarian crisis and facing a famine.
Despite the optimism, the coalition sent new troops into Yemen this week in an attempt to recapture the capital city of Sanaa, captured by the Houthis in late 2014, and a coalition airstrike, using Apache helicopters, killed seven rebels in eastern Yemen. Hours later, Houthi rockets aimed at a government headquarters in Marib province landed instead in a crowded marketplace, killing at least 20 people Friday.
Comment count on this article reflects comments made on Breitbart.com and Facebook. Visit Breitbart's Facebook Page.