Yemen war: Wounded Houthis rebels to be evacuated
SAUDI / YEMEN (3rd Dec, 2018): A UN plane is to evacuate wounded Houthi rebels from Yemen in an effort to build confidence ahead of peace talks, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the rebels says.
The 50 rebels are due to be flown from the rebel-held capital Sanaa for treatment in Oman later today.
UN-sponsored talks between the rebels and the Saudi-backed government are expected to start in the coming days.
“A UN-chartered plane will arrive at Sanaa international airport Monday to evacuate 50 wounded combatants… three Yemeni doctors and a UN doctor, from Sanaa to Muscat,” a coalition spokesman said overnight.
He said the move had been requested by the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and had been agreed as a confidence-building measure ahead of discussions in Sweden.
The UN has been trying to revive talks between the government led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Iranian-backed Houthis who control much of the north.
A previous round in Geneva collapsed in September when the Houthis failed to show up.
During last about four years of conflict in Yemen, thousands of people have been killed in fighting and millions have been pushed to the brink of starvation.
The war fought in Yemen has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in recent times.