UN chief Antonio Guterres announced Thursday a series of breakthroughs in peace talks with the warring parties in Yemen, including a ceasefire for a vital port.
In a highly symbolic gesture on the seventh and final day of the UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands to loud applause — but both later voiced scepticism in separate press conferences.
If implemented, the deal on the Hodeida port, a key gateway for aid and food imports to a country where 14 million people stand at the brink of famine, would mark a major turning point after four years of devastating war.
But a number of key issues remain unresolved. A new round of talks is scheduled for the end of January, with analysts predicting the US will continue to up the pressure on ally Saudi Arabia to end the conflict.
The fighting has triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with one child dying every 10 minutes of preventable causes.
International pressure has been mounting to halt the fighting between the Iran-linked Huthis and the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia and its military allies.
