Yemen Peace Talks Cut Off After Houthis Sign Agreement With Saleh Supporters

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – UN-brokered talks on a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Yemen ended after the Shia Houthi rebels signed an agreement with the General People's Congress (GPC) party of the country’s ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni government said.

"The negotiations have completely ended," deputy director of the Yemeni president's office Abdullah al-Olaimi said as quoted by The Business Standard on Friday.

On Thursday, Houthis announced that they were forming a supreme political council together with the GPC.

The new body has a number of declared goals including resistance to the Saudi-led coalition.

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, which is the country’s main opposition force. The Houthis are backed by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Saleh.

Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request despite a ceasefire agreed in April.

UN-brokered talks to end the Yemeni conflict started in Kuwait on April 21. On July 20, the Kuwaiti government gave the warring sides 15 days to settle the crisis before it would stop hosting the talks.