U.N. -backed peace talks between Yemen’s warring sides began in Kuwait on Thursday evening in an effort to end the impoverished country’s yearlong conflict that has killed almost 9,000 people – a third of them civilians, according to the United Nations.
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“I urge all those around the table to come together to find a way to end the conflict, address the humanitarian situation and allow the return of Yemen’s legitimate government”, Hammond said.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said firming up an April 11 ceasefire was essential to the success of the hard-won peace negotiations in Kuwait.
Previous rounds of United Nations talks in June and December between Yemen’s warring parties failed to end the conflict, which has killed more than 6,400 people, about half of them civilians.
“The ceasefire is respected between 70 percent to 80 percent all over Yemen”, he said.
Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Abyan province advanced toward Zinjibar and the neighbouring town of Jaar, the sources said. They also want to focus the discussion on security arrangements and detainees, the sources added.
Yemeni rival delegations on Friday disagreed over a previously agreed agenda for the UN-sponsored peace talks held in Kuwait, sources close to the negotiations told Xinhua.
The United Nations hopes negotiations – which were originally due to begin on Monday – will put a stop to fighting across Yemen that has killed more than 6,800 people and driven 2.8 million from their homes since March past year.
Just a day before the talks kicked off, the Houthis warned they could suspend their participation if there are continued violations of a cease-fire in place since April 10.
But sources present at the talks, delayed since Monday due to the late arrival of the Houthi delegation and its allies, said the two sides continue to be divided on the priorities.
Backed by Saudi-led airstrikes, the Hadi government forces have managed since July to reclaim large parts of the south of the country, including the provisional capital Aden, but have been unable to retake Sanaa and other key areas held by the Shia group.
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The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since September 2014, and their advance across the Arab world’s poorest country brought the Saudi-led coalition into the war in March 2015. A Saudi-led Arab alliance intervened in March previous year, launching a campaign of mostly air strikes against the Houthis in support of Hadi’s forces.
