Tensions in Yemen high ahead of Geneva peace talks

[Jefferson23]

Analysts say an apparent stalemate has tiered the two rival camps but violence continues to rage on the ground.


Yemeni children run amidst the debris of a house, said to belong to a Houthi leader, destroyed in an air-strike by the Saudi-led coalition, in Sanaa (AFP)

Yemen's warring factions are preparing for UN-backed peace talks slated to kick off in Geneva this Sunday but with fighting ongoing, expectations about a reaching a lasting deal are not high.

The talks will be the first bid to break a deadlock between the Houthi militias – backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh – and President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is supported by the Saudi-led coalition of mainly Arab states that began an aerial bombing campaign against the Houthis back in March.

Fourteen Yemeni representatives - seven from each side of the conflict - will take part in the negotiations, expected to last two to three days.

Despite a fierce campaign of airstrikes that has dealt heavy losses to the Houthis, the Saudi-led coalition has failed to alter the balance of power in Yemen. The Houthis, meanwhile, have held onto territory they have seized but failed to expand and cement their control across the entire country.

- See more at: http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/tensions-high-ahead-yemen-peace-talks-1516811995#sthash.vnvEJP4X.dpuf

[bemildred]

1. +1. I suppose it's good they are talking. nt

[Jefferson23]

2. Hopefully some good will come from it. n/t