A Saudi Arabian delegation has concluded a round of peace talks in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, with the Houthi movement, whose officials cited progress and said further discussions were needed to iron out remaining differences.
In a significant confidence-building measure, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday said that the release and swap of nearly 900 detainees by the two sides in the conflict had started.
Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition that has been battling the Iranian-aligned group since 2015, is seeking a permanent ceasefire agreement to end its military involvement in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry.
Photo: Reuters
Two Yemeni sources said the Saudi team departed Sana’a on Thursday following a visit that signaled movement to build on an expired UN-brokered truce and followed last month’s deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore ties.
Houthi politburo official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti described the negotiations as “going well.”
Another Houthi official, Abdulmalik Alejri, said on Twitter that “with determination and honest intentions remaining difficulties can be resolved.”
Sources have told Reuters that the Saudi-Houthi talks facilitated by Oman were focused on a ceasefire, full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sana’a airport, payment of public sector wages, rebuilding efforts and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Yemen.
Two Yemeni sources, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the parties could agree on an extended truce deal as they work out remaining differences.
The main sticking points include payment of civil servant salaries — which the Houthis have insisted include armed forces — using oil revenue and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country, three sources familiar with the negotiations said.
The conflict, in which the coalition intervened against the Houthis after they ousted the Saudi-backed government from Sana’a in late 2014, is a multifaceted one with several Yemeni factions vying for influence.
The Houthis are de facto authorities in northern Yemen. The internationally recognized government is represented by a presidential council formed under Saudi auspices last year, which took over power from Yemen’s president-in-exile.
Meanwhile, a major exchange of prisoners got under way yesterday, with the first airplane departing rebel-held Sana’a for government-controlled Aden, the ICRC said.
“The first flight from Sana’a has left,” ICRC media adviser Jessica Moussan said, signaling the start of a three-day operation that would see nearly 900 prisoners released.
More than 300 prisoners were to fly between the two cities yesterday. Later, detainees would also be released in Marib and Mokha in Yemen, and in Riyadh and Abha in Saudi Arabia.
Additional reporting by AFP
Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries in an airplane fire in South Korea, authorities said yesterday, with local media suggesting the blaze might have been caused by a portable battery stored in the overhead bin. The Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321, was set to fly to Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in southeastern Busan, but caught fire in the rear section on Tuesday night, the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said. A total of 169 passengers and seven flight attendants and staff were evacuated down inflatable slides, it said. Authorities initially reported three injuries, but revised the number
‘BALD-FACED LIE’: The woman is accused of administering non-prescribed drugs to the one-year-old and filmed the toddler’s distress to solicit donations online A social media influencer accused of filming the torture of her baby to gain money allegedly manufactured symptoms causing the toddler to have brain surgery, a magistrate has heard. The 34-year-old Queensland woman is charged with torturing an infant and posting videos of the little girl online to build a social media following and solicit donations. A decision on her bail application in a Brisbane court was yesterday postponed after the magistrate opted to take more time before making a decision in an effort “not to be overwhelmed” by the nature of allegations “so offensive to right-thinking people.” The Sunshine Coast woman —
BORDER SERVICES: With the US-funded International Rescue Committee telling clinics to shut by tomorrow, Burmese refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals Healthcare centers serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after US President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which funds the clinics with US support, told the facilities to shut by tomorrow, a local official and two camp committee members said. The IRC did not respond to a request for comment. Trump last week paused development assistance from the US Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his “America First” policy. The freeze has thrown
TESTING BAN: Satellite photos show a facility in the Chinese city of Mianyang that could aid nuclear weapons design and power generation, a US researcher said China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research center in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organizations said, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that would house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that would hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers would fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at US-based independent research organization CNA Corp. It is a similar layout to the US$3.5 billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in northern California, which in 2022 generated