With just a few days left until the UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva, fighting is once again escalating in Yemen, particularly around the southern city of Aden, where forces loyal to the former government fought with members of the Shi’ite Houthi movement in heavy clashes that left at least 43 people killed.
Saudi forces picked up their airstrikes against the Shi’ites in several other provinces across central Yemen as well, fueling more civilian displacement across the nation, and what aid groups are warning is a soaring humanitarian crisis.
Despite the new fighting, the indications are still that both sides will be taking part in the Geneva talks, though the Saudi government is not expected to play much of a role, having repeatedly ruled out any peace talks and demanded unconditional surrender from the Houthis.
That the talks are happening at all, however, reflects the increasing war exhaustion on both sides, and the increasing realization that neither side is going to be able to secure an outright military victory in anything resembling a timely faction, and instead are looking for some sort of settlement.
And the Houta government of Yemen made another major attack on a military base inside Saudi Arabia. Who knows but this could be the downfall of so criminal a US-backed dictatorship.