UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, hopes that the year 2024 will herald the beginning of a new chapter that will bring good news for Yemen, a poor country torn by wars and conflicts, saying: “Thirty million Yemenis are watching and waiting for this new opportunity to lead to tangible results and progress towards lasting peace. "The parties have taken an important step."

Grundberg bases his optimism on the course of negotiations between Saudi Arabia, Houthis, and presidential leadership council, which aim to reach a comprehensive agreement that leads to a permanent ceasefire and improves the living conditions of Yemenis, paving the way for ending the war that Riyadh has been leading in Yemen for nine years. Despite this optimism, no specific timetable has yet been announced.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. 

Increasing Houthi influence

Despite the regional and international welcome for the start of negotiations between Riyadh and Houthi rebels, some observers expressed less enthusiasm.

Thomas Juneau, an associate professor at the Canadian University of Ottawa, said that the matter is not “a peace process and will not bring peace, development and stability to Yemen. The recent talks represent a political process through which the Houthis and Saudi Arabia negotiate Saudi Arabia’s defeat and final withdrawal from Yemen.” 

Houthis currently control large parts of northern and western Yemen, in addition to their ability to disrupt international maritime navigation in the open Red Sea, as they were able to target Israel, which is about two thousand kilometers away from Yemen, with missiles and drones that were intercepted by the Israeli army.