UN Special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed today warned the UN Security Council that he would be unable to call for another round of peace talks in Yemen any time soon, because of “deep divisions” among the factions over a new ceasefire to go along with the negotiations.
He said it was vitally necessary to get the talks going before the end of March, but that he’s been unable to get any assurances that a new ceasefire, if indeed one was called, would be respected for the duration of the talks.
Though Ahmed did not indicate who was the obstacle, the December ceasefire saw Saudi warplanes bombing targets within Yemen every single day throughout it, with battles on the ground also happening on several occasions.
The talks haven’t gone well at any rate, with the pro-Saudi faction demanding the Shi’ite Houthis unilaterally disarm and abandon all cities as a condition for the peace talks to make any process, insisting that a UN resolution from 2014 still stands, and obliges the Houthis to surrender.