Yemenis react mid growing expectations of peace talks
76 views · Published 8 December 2018 · 1:17 · Indexed 2 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(3 Dec 2018) Some Yemenis are calling on their leaders to bring an end to the war, amid growing expectations of peace talks between the country's two warring parties in Sweden in the coming days. A plane carrying some 50 Shiite rebels wounded in fighting left on Monday for neighbouring Oman where they will receive treatment, according to officials, in a move that meets one of the conditions set by the rebels to participate in the peace talks. Their evacuation aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, could also be a prelude to the departure by rebel delegates later this week to Sweden, where peace talks are due to take place in the latest diplomatic bid to end Yemen's civil war. UN Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in Sanaa earlier on Monday, where he was expected to hold last-minute talks with the rebels, known as Houthis, and possibly escort them to the talks within the next couple of days. The United Nations says Yemen's internationally-recognized government and the rebels have agreed to attend the peace talks, but the Houthis have said they will only attend if safe travel is guaranteed. Previous attempts at getting all parties around the same negotiating table have collapsed. Still, some Sanaa residents remained hopeful that this latest UN-sponsored initiative could lead to peace. Shakib Al-Hamadi said it was time for the country's leaders to let "reason prevail" and think in the interest of the average Yemeni. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who toppled the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis since March 2015. Saudi-led airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and weddings, and the Houthis have fired long-range missiles into the kingdom and targeted its vessels in the Red Sea. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have been killed in the war, which has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/b6dc2fe90fdc11bd14d45664a2c54e63
