After four years of deadlocked conflict, deadly airstrikes, militia chaos and humanitarian crisis, would the hope – thin – of a peace process be pointing to Yemen? Riyadh announced Tuesday, November 26, the forthcoming release of two hundred prisoners belonging to the Houthist camp. This measure of confidence comes after the opening of informal talks between the Kingdom and Iran-backed rebels, against which Saudi Arabia entered the war in 2015. In response to a partial houthist cease-fire declared At the beginning of October, the destructive bombings of the Saudi air force had drastically decreased in intensity, despite the continuation of localized fighting.
In the northern areas, held by the rebels and where is the capital, Sanaa, the Saudi blockade is still rife, resulting in very high prices and a degraded humanitarian situation. However, the inhabitants of these territories are now in a position to hope for a relative easing of the Saudi pincers as signs of appeasement emerge. Tuesday, Riyadh, which controls the airspace, also announced, after three years of blocking, the reopening of the airport of the capital to the patients needing to seek treatment abroad.
This evidence of goodwill put forward by Saudi Arabia in the direction of its Houthi adversaries and the populations living under their authority could now foreshadow greater openings. "The very serious humanitarian situation in Yemen can only be solved when the weapons are silent in the country. These recent announcements are signs that hope that this terrible conflict will be over soon, " said at World Lise Grande, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen.
"Get out of the Yemeni quagmire"
Riyadh's priority in Yemen now seems to end a costly war financially and politically. After promising a victory after a few weeks in 2015, Saudi Arabia has found itself permanently stuck in a devastating conflict for its image. Moreover, far from fulfilling its military objectives, Saudi Arabia has seen its Houthist adversaries strengthen in the wake of the chaos. Their abilities to strike deep within the Kingdom's territory have steadily increased.
It was, however, the spectacular attack that targeted Saudi strategic oil sites in mid-September that precipitated the inflection of Riyadh. Claimed by the Houthists, the destruction of these facilities, which has seriously affected Saudi oil production, has been attributed by Riyadh and Washington to Iran. Beyond these accusations, this action, which integrates the security pressure carried out by the Islamic Republic against the allies of the United States in the region, remained without military response.
