An Omani delegation arrived in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Wednesday to meet with leaders of the Houthi rebels on the UN-brokered cease-fire, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported. The Houthis’ chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdulsalam, received the delegation, the report said. Oman has been actively engaged in brokering a truce between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government. A six-month national truce expired on October 2 despite efforts by the government and the Houthi group to extend it.
The Yemeni civil war began in late 2014 when the Houthi rebel movement, which is allied with Iran and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized control of several northern cities and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government out of the capital. The ongoing conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation.