PEACE talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi militia held in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa triggered hopes of reviving a ceasefire in the war-torn country after more than 8 years of deadly conflict.
The Saudi and Omani delegation arrived at the Sanaa International Airport over the weekend where peace talks also followed.
Delegates from both countries met with Mahdi Al-Mashat, Chairman of the Houthi’s Political Council, to discuss arrangements for renewing a ceasefire deal that ended in October 2022.
Oman, which shares borders with Yemen, has played a major role in acting as a mediator between the Yemeni government, Saudi Arabia, and the Houthi Group.
Moreover, Oman has been trying for years to bridge differences between Yemen’s warring parties, particularly between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
The conflict in Yemen erupted in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized Sanaa, forcing the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital and for a military coalition led by Riyadh to intervene in 2015.
In regards to the outcome of the recent talks, a government source based in Yemen revealed that Riyadh and the Houthis had agreed in principle to declare a six-month truce.
The move would pave the way for 3 months of negotiations and a two-year “transition” toward peace.
The talks brought hopes of ending the Yemen conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and in what the united nations described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The latest progress took place a few weeks after China helped broker a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
