US envoy set to visit Gulf for Yemen peace talks

By Mohammad al-Rajawi
ISTANBUL (AA) – US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will set out on a Gulf tour this week in an effort to revive peace talks in war-torn Yemen.

Lenderking will meet with senior regional government officials and other international partners to press parties involved in the Yemeni conflict to “de-escalate militarily” and to engage in "an inclusive UN-led peace process," the US Department of State said in a statement.

The US envoy will also focus on the “urgent need to mitigate the dire humanitarian and economic crises facing Yemenis,” it added.

The statement called on the parties to the Yemeni conflict to "take steps to improve humanitarian access and address Yemen's fuel crisis."

On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it had killed 90 Houthi rebels in attacks in Yemen over the past 24 hours. Houthi rebels, meanwhile, shelled the energy-rich Shabwa province, killing at least three people.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthis captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict has caused one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% or around 30 million people needing humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar