The image that appeared on the front page of the Yemeni media on April 10 was unprecedented. It featured the meeting, under the stone vaults of the presidential palace in Sanaa, between the political leader of the Houthi rebels, Mehdi al-Machat, and the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed Al Jaber. This visit, made possible by mediation from Oman, marks the end of nearly two years of informal talks between two of the main players in the war ravaging Yemen. It also marks the culmination of Mohammed bin Salman's failure. In 2015 the Saudi crown prince, known as MBS, entered the war to dislodge the pro-Iranian group from the capital.
It is a direct consequence of the restoration of diplomatic relations announced on March 10 between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the sponsor of the Houthi rebellion. The recent rapprochement between the two major regional rivals, Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, has fueled hopes for peace in the Middle East, particularly in Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula and suffering from one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"I visit Sana’a along with a delegation from the brotherly Sultanate of Oman to stabilize the truce and ceasefire," Al Jaber tweeted, the first comment from Saudi authorities on the visit. The Saudi diplomat also said he sought to "support the prisoner exchange process and explore venues of dialogue between Yemeni components to reach a sustainable, comprehensive political solution in Yemen." A public announcement of the results of his peace talks could come in the next few days.
Truce, lifting of blockade and discussions
The truce between rebels and forces of the internationally recognized government, which came into effect in April 2022 for six months but was not renewed in October, is now expected to be extended.
Saudi Arabia is expected to lift the blockade imposed on the ports (including Al Hudaydah, the main port on the Red Sea) and the airport in Sanaa, the capital, which is under Houthi control, in exchange for a lifting of the siege imposed by the Houthi on the city of Taiz, the third largest in the country, located in the mountains of western Yemen.
The talks also focus on another of the rebels' main demands, which Mohammed Abdel-Salam, the head of the Houthi negotiators, has stressed: "payment of the salaries of all civil servants [by the government, including in the Houthi areas] via the revenues from oil and gas," the production fields of which are beyond their control. These demands appear realistic, as Saudi Arabia is in a hurry to turn the page.
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