The UN-mediated talks between the Yemeni government and the Houthis started in Stockholm on Thursday. The sides are discussing prisoner exchange, confidence building measures and humanitarian issues.
“We are working to the background of a very fragile situation in Yemen. We hope that the de-escalation will be maintained on different front lines to give a chance for progress to be achieved on political consultations,” Griffiths said.
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels for several years. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.
The conflict escalated this summer in the region of Al Hudaydah, the Yemeni largest port, disrupting humanitarian supplies to the country and putting half of its population at risk of starvation.
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