Houthi rebels head to Sweden for peace talks

AFP, 04TH DECEMBER, 2018 - A rebel delegation flew out of the Yemeni capital on Tuesday heading for highstakes talks in Sweden with the government aimed at ending the country’s devastating war.

The departure of the Houthi insurgents on a Kuwaiti plane followed a prisoner swap deal and the evacuation of 50 wounded rebels for treatment in Oman in a major boost to peace efforts.

The delegation was accompanied by UN envoy Martin Griffiths, an airport source said.

Rebel spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam confirmed their departure on Twitter, saying the Houthis “will spare no effort to make a success of the talks to restore peace and end the aggression”. At the same time he called on rebel fighters to remain “vigilant against any attempt at a military escalation on the ground”.