The talks, to be held in Geneva on September 6, were announced on Thursday by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, who said that a “political solution was possible” to end a conflict ongoing since 2015.
On Friday, a close advisor to internationally-recognised Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi said that the government would be present in Switzerland, but that it was “not optimistic” about reaching a peace deal.
For their part, the opposition Houthi rebel group – who control large areas of the country including capital Sana’a – announced on Saturday that they had no problem with attending such discussions in “a neutral country”.
Humanitarian crisis
The talks will aim to solve a conflict that has caused over 10,000 deaths since a Saudi and UAE-backed coalition launched a military campaign on behalf of Hadi’s government in 2015.
Since then, the poor country at the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula has witnessed the “worst humanitarian crisis” in the world, according to the UN; hunger and violence persists, while a cholera outbreak has killed over 2,000.
On the same day that the UN announced the upcoming talks, an air raid on the Yemeni Red Sea town of Hodeida – controlled by Houthis – led to some 55 civilian deaths and 170 injuries, according to Red Cross reports.
The casualties were largely down to bombings that appeared to target the Al-Thawra hospital (the largest in the country) and the town’s fish market (70% of Yemen’s food imports pass via Hodeida).
The government-supported military coalition denied responsibility for the attack. The UN and the Red Cross strongly condemned the civilian deaths and the areas targeted.
Previous UN efforts to hold peace talks in Geneva to find a solution to the Yemeni conflict floundered on Houthi reluctance to withdraw from strategic cities, as well as it’s resistance to sharing power.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Politics
In Switzerland, New Year brings ‘burka ban’ and pension hikes
Have you heard something about Swiss diplomacy that you’d like us to fact check?
Not all information circulating about Switzerland’s foreign relations is accurate or well understood. Tell us what you'd like us to fact check or clarify.
WEF: Trump to speak virtually, Zelensky to appear in person
This content was published on
US President-elect Donald Trump will attend this year's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos via video conference. He is scheduled to speak on January 23.
Coop washes its hands of The Body Shop in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Body Shop is facing closure in Switzerland. Retailer Coop is no longer extending the franchise agreement for its cosmetics subsidiary.
Three out of ten Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland have a job
This content was published on
More and more refugees from Ukraine have a job in Switzerland. The employment rate of people with protection status S was just under 30% at the end of 2024.
Swiss private companies invest CHF18 billion in research
This content was published on
In 2023, private companies in Switzerland spent CHF18 billion ($19.7 billion) on their own research and development. This is CHF1.2 billion more than in 2021.
This content was published on
Lindt & Sprüngli grew strongly in 2024. The Swiss chocolate manufacturer is also aiming for above-average growth in the current financial year.
‘Surprisingly few’ signatures invalid for ban on animal testing
This content was published on
The initiative to ban animal testing was submitted in November with around 127,600 signatures. "Surprisingly few" signatures are not valid, the initiative's organisers have now said.
Geneva hosts Iran nuclear talks before return of Trump
This content was published on
Iran and the main European powers began two days of talks in Geneva on Iran's nuclear programme on Monday, a week ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration as US president.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Switzerland pledges more emergency aid to Yemen
This content was published on
Switzerland has promised an extra CHF4 million ($4.2 million) towards humanitarian aid for Yemen at a United Nations donor conference in Geneva.
This content was published on
How has the brutal conflict in Syria been allowed to drag on for seven years, and what has happened to traditional diplomacy, asks Imogen Foulkes.
‘We look on as people starve to death, and we do nothing’
This content was published on
Manea, who has Yemeni and Swiss citizenship, says negotiations need to take place at a local and regional level. swissinfo.ch: What’s the situation for the population in Yemen? Elham Manea: Every ten minutes a child dies from malnutrition. We look on as people starve to death, and we do nothing. Everyone is suffering there, but…
This content was published on
Here is a short guide to the sixth round of the intra-Syrian peace negotiations, which are taking place in Geneva and set to run from May 16-19.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.