According to two sources involved in the negotiations of Yemen, representatives from Saudi Arabia and Oman are arranging a visit to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, next week. The purpose of the visit is to negotiate a lasting ceasefire agreement with Houthi officials who are aligned with Iran, in order to bring an end to the long-standing conflict in Yemen. This development suggests that tensions between regional powers are diminishing after the recent Saudi Arabia and Iran agreement to normalize their relations, ending years of hostility and supporting opposing sides in various Middle Eastern conflicts, including the one in Yemen.

Grassroot steps were taken earlier when The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, stated during a UN Security Council briefing in January  that there was an increasing possibility of a renewed ceasefire in Yemen. This was due to the intensified diplomatic efforts at the regional and international level to bring an end to the country's eight-year conflict. Grundberg added that while there was a potential for significant progress in the conflict's trajectory, the situation was still complicated and ever-changing. Last year, a UN-supported truce was implemented, which allowed some fuel shipments into Hodeidah port, and commercial flights from Sanaa, but it did not lift the Houthi blockade on the city of Taiz, which was a crucial demand for the government. The truce ended in October 2022 after the Houthi rebels refused to agree to a further extension. However, despite the absence of an extension, the fighting has not escalated.

This civil war, however, broke out eight years ago when In 2014, Houthi insurgents, linked to Iran and known for rebelling against the Sunni government, seized control of Sana'a, demanding lowering of  fuel prices and a new government. After unsuccessful negotiations, the rebels seized the presidential palace in 2015, causing President Hadi to resign. A coalition of Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia and supported by the US began air strikes against the Houthi insurgents in 2015. Fighting has continued since then, with a UN effort to broker peace talks between the Yemeni government and the Houthis stalling in 2016. Regional powers, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, were intervening in the conflict, threatening to exacerbate the Sunni-Shia divide. The conflict has been taking a severe toll on Yemeni civilians, resulting in the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions in need of assistance, at risk of famine, and affected by a cholera outbreak. The United States, also, continued counterterrorism operations in Yemen, targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic State militants through airstrikes.

By: Rozhina S.