UN envoy arrives in Aden for Yemen talks

By Shukri Hussein

ADEN, Yemen (AA) – UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in the coastal city of Aden on Wednesday for talks with Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

Talks between the two sides are expected to discuss the ongoing fight between government forces and Houthi rebels in the western province of Al-Hudaydah, a government source said on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to media.

Last week, Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition launched a wide-ranging operation to retake Al-Hudaydah -- and its seaport -- from the Houthis amid growing concerns of triggering a humanitarian crisis in the coastal province.

Yemen’s internationally-recognized government and its allies accuse the Houthis of using the seaport to smuggle weapons into the country from Iran.

The talks will also dwell on ways of resuming political talks to reach a settlement to the 4-year conflict in Yemen, the source said.

Last week, Griffith held similar talks with Houthi rebels in the capital Sanaa.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.

The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.