Ceasefire between government and rebels in Yemen as peace talks begin
Representatives from the warring factions met at an undisclosed location in Switzerland, with the UN overseeing the negotiations.
A seven-day ceasefire came into effect in Yemen on Tuesday as the warring government and Houthi rebels began UN-guided peace talks in Switzerland. The UN said it hopes to arrive at a “durable settlement” at the talks, the BBC reported.
On Monday, representatives of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, the Houthis and the General People's Congress party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh reached the undisclosed Swiss location. The talks are expected to last a week. UN's special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said the talks "should mark the end of military violence in Yemen and the transition to progress based on negotiations, dialogue and consensus.”
The country’s 24 million residents have been living through nine months of severe conflict, which has killed thousands and greatly damaged that country’s infrastructure. In March, the Saudi-led rebels started a military campaign against the government. Human rights watchdogs have reported that the humanitarian crisis has intensified so much that nearly four-fifths of the country's population is now in need of aid.
