Houthis on way to Yemen talks in Stockholm
A Houthi delegation, escorted by the UN’s envoy to Yemen, is en route to Sweden to attend peace talks with the Yemeni government.
The rebel party and Martin Griffiths left the capital Sanaa yesterday in a Kuwaiti plane accompanied by Kuwait’s ambassador to Yemen.
Their departure indicates that this round of peace talks is already off to a better start than the previous summit planned in Geneva in September, which collapsed after the Houthi delegation refused to leave Sanaa.
That failure to attend prompted suspicion from the Yemeni government that the rebels were stalling for time ahead of the Arab Coalition’s expected offensive to recapture the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah.
This time around, the two sides face mounting pressure by the US, UN and the UK to pursue a negotiated end to the conflict as the humanitarian situation deteriorates.
On Monday, a plane carrying about 50 wounded Houthi rebels landed in Oman where they will receive treatment, according to the United Nations.
The Arab Coalition supported moving the wounded fighters, saying it would be repeated if confidence-building measures the UN envoy to Yemen says are necessary prove successful.
“We believe Sweden offers a critical opportunity to successfully engage in a political solution for Yemen,” said Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash.
Yemen’s government and the Houthis agreed to swap thousands of prisoners before the peace talks in Stockholm. A Yemeni government source told The National that coalition troops captured fighting in northern Yemen would be among those in the exchange.
Saudi Arabia did not comment on whether those captured by the Houthis were its soldiers.
The exchange deal, struck during a visit by UN envoy Martin Griffiths, will include between 1,500 and 2,000 members of the pro-government forces and between 1,000 and 1,500 rebels, government official Hadi Haig told AFP.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it welcomed the agreement.
However, others in Yemen remain sceptical about the talks. Col Wadhah Al Dubaish, an officer in the Al Amalikah forces fighting along the west coast, said he believed the Houthis were trying to exploit the efforts of the UN and the international community.
“The Houthis agreed on swapping the prisoners because they have thousands of prisoners in the hands of pro-government forces.
“They easily agreed, but when the political negotiations begin, you will see how stubborn they will become,” Col Al Dubaish said.
But analysts suggest that pursuing confidence-building measures could be an important step on the road to peace. Fatima Abo Alasrar, a senior analyst at the Arabia Foundation think tank, said issues such as Yemen’s economic situation, the opening of Sanaa airport, and the prisoner exchange were positive preliminary areas for talks to focus on.
The odds of success may be increased because Mr Griffiths has better managed expectations this time, she said. “Geneva failed because the Houthi delegation did not attend, as they had requirements that the UN envoy did not prepare for. This time, the UN envoy was prepared and secured the transfer of 50 injured Houthis into Oman for treatment to remove all the Houthis’ excuses that they cited for not attending Geneva.”
Regional leaders have thrown their support behind the Sweden talks. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made his first public comments on Yemen on Monday when he urged both sides in the war to “restore peace and prosperity in the country”.
Landlocked Ethiopia hosts thousands of Yemenis who fled the conflict. A short boat ride takes refugees across the Bab Al Mandeb to Djibouti, where many travel on to Ethiopia.
Yesterday, the UN appealed for $4 billion (Dh14.69bn) to address Yemen’s crisis. The appeal does not include funding requirements for Syria, which are expected to bring the total up to $25 billion, it said.