Yemen war: UK pushes for peace talks after experts warn 14 million people 'on brink of famine'

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said there was ‘a window of opportunity’ to tackle what he described as ‘world’s worst humanitarian crisis’

Workers unload wheat assistance provided by Unicef from a cargo ship at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in January (AFP)

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has agreed to allow Houthi rebels to evacuate wounded fighters from the country, a move that has raised hopes ahead of peace talks planned for later this month.

The issue had been a key stumbling block in previous negotiations, but a renewed sense of urgency from the international community amid fierce fighting in the port city of Hodeidah appears to be yielding results.

The US-backed coalition launched what it said was a “vast offensive” last week to capture the Houthi-controlled city. Around 80 per cent of Yemen’s food imports arrive through Hodeidah, and the United Nations had warned that clashes in the city could trigger a famine.

The deal was announced following intensive shuttle diplomacy by foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, which saw him visit the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the internationally recognised Yemeni government in quick succession. The UK is the second-biggest exporter of arms to Saudi Arabia, behind the US.

While the agreement doesn’t appear to have had a marked effect on fighting in Hodeidah, analysts said it was a step in the right direction.

“It’s a pretty significant success,” Adam Baron, a Yemen expert with the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Independent. “The coalition was reluctant to agree to it before because they saw it as transferring fighters out of Yemen.”

He added it was “notable that we’re seeing a more muscular diplomatic policy supporting these negotiations.”

Mr Hunt said he had made the trip because there was “a window of opportunity” to tackle what he described as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”.

“In my meetings we have made progress in removing the largest stumbling block to previous proposed rounds of peace talks, and set out a credible path to a de-escalation of military activity,” he added.

A statement from the Foreign Office said that “subject to final reassurances, coalition forces will now permit the UN to oversee a Houthi medical evacuation including up to 50 wounded fighters to Oman ahead of another proposed round of peace talks in Sweden later this month”.

The fighting in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and devastated the already impoverished country. Last week, 35 Yemeni and international NGOs called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities”, and warned that 14 million people were now “on the brink of famine”.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen three years ago after Houthi rebels took over much of the country and forced out the internationally recognised government of President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

During that time at least 6,660 civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations, most of whom were victims of coalition airstrikes. The Houthis have also targeted civilians throughout the conflict, the UN says.

Coalition jets, backed by US logistical support and using weapons made in the US and the UK, have repeatedly hit targets where no militants were present.

The coalition has admitted to causing civilian casualties in the past, but attributes the deaths to “unintentional mistakes”, and says it is committed to upholding international law.

Western backers of the Saudi-led campaign have come under increasing pressure to end arms sales to the country in recent weeks amid a growing scandal over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

During his trip, Mr Hunt met with both the Saudi king and the country’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – the key architect of the Saudi intervention in Yemen.

The prince has been under intense pressure over the murder of Khashoggi, after a number of his close aides were implicated in the killing. After initially claiming that Khashoggi had left the consulate, Riyadh eventually admitted that it was planned in advance. Saudi officials deny the prince had any knowledge of the killing.