Omani delegation reaches Sanaa for ceasefire talks with Houthi

Sanaa: An Omani delegation has arrived in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa to urge the Houthi group to begin ceasefire talks with the Yemeni government. Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said Thursday the delegation would hold talks with Houthi leaders. Oman, which shares borders with both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, is actively engaged in brokering a ceasefire between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, Xinhua news agency reported. The previous ceasefire, which was brokered by the United Nations, lasted for six months and ended in October last year. However, despite no ceasefire, fighting has largely subsided on several fronts between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces. Yemen has been locked in civil war since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group took control of several northern provinces and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa. The war has taken the lives of thousands of people and has brought the country to the brink of starvation.