A death toll of over 6,000 people and the displacement of over two million others while bringing a country to the point of an epitaph is the story of Yemen, a once proud and flourishing nation. The conflict has reached a point where war and killing is no longer an option, not that it should have ever been. But between the Houthi rebels and the government this is the first time that both seem to be serious enough to safeguard the Saudi-inspired peace talks from collapsing.
Despite several incursions on the cease-fire the agreement to attend the palaver has survived the breaches and one can only hope it will continue to be so. The Houthi provocation in attacking Saudi territory and engaging in cross border raids is regrettable. Unless they stop, the Saudi forces have no choice but to target Houthi strongholds.
With the Kuwait talks only days away it is heartening that the conflict has, at least, slowed down. The one positive development is that in the government reshuffle indicates that any settlement will accept Houthi representation as an integral part of the deal. This, in itself, should be encouraging enough not to jeopardize the peace initiative.
Between April 10 when the cease-fire came into effect and April 18 when Kuwait will host the talks, there have been some ups and downs at the half way mark, most of them centered around the need to address the other problem of separatist insurgency in the Aden region.
The one factor that has to be addressed is the Houthi reluctance to disarm under a UN diktat and surrender its weaponry, especially that taken off over run government bases. So far, this demand has not been convincingly met.
While the Kuwait talks are not likely to produce a magic solution, they are a crucial step in the ongoing process and if their being on the agenda does spike the guns and halt the killings that itself counts for a lot. The exhausted citizenry needs break and this week provides it in some measure.
All elements have to ensure that no third party tries to derail the process and one of the first steps is to work together to stop the local factions from mounting attacks. By coordinating the effort the government and the Houthis can serve a common purpose… saving their country from oblivion.
