By: Faisal Quyyumi, contributing intern (@_faisalquyyumi ) Since the summer, several peace talks have been proposed between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels, however they have yet to unfold. Each side has accused the other of violations known to be confidential. In the middle of June, a plan was constructed to meet in Geneva, Switzerland but Foreign Minister Riad Yassin said, “There is no progress for the time being. We did not receive any proposal.” And after another unsuccessful meeting between both sides in November, Yemen announced that a realistic peace talk would begin next week in Switzerland, which will first commence with a cease-fire. Since the nine-month-old war began through air strikes and ground forces, 5,700 people have been killed along with destruction of infrastructure throughout the conflicted nation. Yemen currently ranks 154th out of 196 countries in human development, which includes life expectancy, unemployment rate, and access to safe drinking water. The talks are set to start on December 15th and hopefully finish by December 21st. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, spoke highly of the meeting and said, “We are sure we will have a cease-fire, we are almost sure, we are very optimistic.” According to reports, both sides seem keen to put an urgent end to this gruesome war. The United Nations declared that no media access will be allowed during the peace talks nor will it be made public until it is finished in its entirety; this is known as a “press blackout”. The goal of the meeting is to agree to withdraw militias throughout the country, dispose of heavy weaponry, and etc. If the country fails to come to a peaceful agreement rapidly, then numerous assassinations could occur such as the one of Jaafar Mohamed Saad (governor of Aden) this past Sunday. If the meetings are a success, the nation will ultimately receive medical and humanitarian aid funded by the United Nations.
