Saudi Arabia pushing for the end of Yemen’s nine-year conflict with the Houthis

On Apr 9, 2023

In an effort to put an end to a conflict that has disrupted oil markets and severely damaged the poorest nation in the region, Saudi Arabia is allegedly making a serious push for a durable peace agreement with fighters in Yemen who are supported by Iran.

According to people familiar with the matter who talked to Bloomberg, Saudi officials have recently spoken with Yemen’s presidential leadership council about a potential deal.

This comes after talks between the Saudi Arabian administration and the Iranian-supported Houthi organization. Today’s agreement-making meetings are taking place in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen, with participants from Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The new peace plan calls for a six-month ceasefire to begin, followed by the reopening of main routes and the removal of all restrictions on aircraft and ports, and it might be unveiled within the next two weeks.

Peace negotiations between Yemeni groups would then start, including topics like disarmament, the creation of a cabinet and presidential council, and the unification of the national bank. A two-year transitional phase is also included in the plan.

The nine-year conflict, which has seen several Houthi drone and missile attacks against the nation, including a deadly hit on Saudi oil infrastructure in 2019, has been the focus of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to put a stop to it. A previous ceasefire, though it ended in October, has largely been maintained.