Yemen Government Agrees to Attend UN-Sponsored Talks With Houthi Rebels

The exiled Yemeni government has agreed to attend a new round of UN-sponsored negotiations with Houthis and the allied former president, local media reported on Sunday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) – On Thursday, UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced the United Nations intended to sponsor peace talks among the conflicting parties this month.

"A government spokesman announced the Yemeni government agreed to hold talks with the rebels and [Ali Abdullah] Saleh," Sky News Arabiya tweeted.

Yemen is engulfed in a military conflict between Houthis, the country’s main opposition faction, and government forces.

In late March, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states began airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen at the request of President-in-exile Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.