By Houssam Mehfara | Staff Writer
The Yemeni capital Sanaa has held talks between Houthi officials and delegations coming from both Oman and Saudi Arabia, in a period where the Kingdom is potentially ending an eight-year intervention indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The initiative comes in the midst of the re-normalization of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia, known as archenemies for the past decades. This new stage of “Détente” was sponsored by China, brokering a deal to become a bigger actor for the region and potentially soothe the big rivalry that has been going on for over 40 years. Saudi Arabia is looking to diversify its alliances in a shifting middle east, by building a relationship with Iran. This means that Iran’s isolation from the world is being reduced, especially with a global power like China brokering the deal to impose its strategic interests across the region.
Both parties will negotiate to reach a compromise that will result in an end to the conflict and the removal of the blockade on Yemeni ports. SABA reported that President Al-Mashat restated the stance of the group, which is to strive for an “honorable peace” and that the Yemeni people have a desire for “freedom and independence”.
The conflict in Yemen is viewed as a proxy fight among a series of such conflicts between Saudi Arabia and Iran, along with Syria or Iraq. In 2014, the Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, overthrew a government in Sanaa, which was backed by Saudi Arabia, and held de facto control over the north of Yemen, claiming to be fighting against a corrupt system and external aggression. Since 2015, they have been engaged in a battle with a Saudi-led military coalition resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and leaving “80% of the population of Yemen relying on humanitarian assistance” (Reuters).
The current situation has drawn significant attention from the United States, prompting a critical analysis of the potential outcomes. Given the gravity of the circumstances, one might contemplate whether the likelihood of a peaceful resolution has increased or if the situation has become more dire, perhaps even pushing toward an irreversible event.