New Attempt at Yemen Peace Talks Expected in Kuwait Next Month

Talks aimed at ending Yemen's war are expected in Kuwait next month along with a temporary ceasefire, a senior Yemeni government official said, raising the possibility of an end to violence that has killed thousands.

There have already been several failed attempts to defuse the conflict in Yemen, which has drawn in regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran and triggered a humanitarian crisis in the Arab world's poorest country.

"The talks will be on April 17 in Kuwait, accompanied by a temporary ceasefire," the Yemeni official said, declining to be named. There were two inconclusive rounds of peace talks in Switzerland last year.

The United Nations says more than 6,000 people have been killed since the start of the Saudi-led military intervention a year ago whose ultimate aim is to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi following his ousting by Houthi forces and forces loyal to Yemen’s former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

One in ten Yemenis is displaced, according to U.N. humanitarian workers. Half of those killed and injured were civilians.