Houthi rebels refuse to board plane for Geneva talks

UN-brokered discussions were meant to start on Monday, but rebels object to two-delegation format.

SANAA // A plane meant to carry Houthi rebels and their allies to UN-brokered talks in Geneva left without the delegates on board on Saturday, airport officials in Yemen’s capital said.

A Houthi representative said the rebels objected to the idea of two separate delegations to the talks – one representing the government in exile, and one seen as representing a “coup”.

This arrangement created an environment aimed at pressuring the Houthis to withdraw from Sanaa, he said, rather than continuing a broader multi-party discussion.

The Iran-backed rebels had initially welcomed the meeting.

The exiled government led by president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi said its delegation flew to Geneva on Saturday for the UN talks due to open on Monday.

The talks had been scheduled to start on Sunday but the United Nations on Friday postponed them by a day due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

The UN chief Ban Ki-moon said the talks were aimed at securing a ceasefire, agreeing on a withdrawal plan for the Houthis and stepping up deliveries of humanitarian aid to Yemenis affected by the conflict.

Meanwhile, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition seeking to reinstate Mr Hadi struck Houthi positions in the central province of Dhamar on Saturday, as well as air defence positions of allied troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, witnesses said. Rebel positions in their northern Saada stronghold were also hit.

A wave of intensive overnight airstrikes targeted arms depots around the capital and residences of people close to Mr Saleh, including his brother’s home, south of Sanaa.

On the ground, clashes continued in the port city of Aden, as well as in nearby Daleh, and in the provinces of Shabwa and Abyan, where southern fighters allied with Mr Hadi have been fighting advancing rebels.

Saudi Arabia launched the air campaign on March 26, as the Houthis and their allies advanced on Mr Hadi’s refuge in the southern city of Aden.

The president had fled the capital, which the rebels seized unopposed in September, and took refuge in Saudi Arabia as the Houthis closed in on Aden.

A five-day truce last month allowed aid agencies to reach civilians caught in the fighting but UN efforts to prolong the ceasefire failed.

The World Health Organisation said on Friday that 2,584 people had been killed in fighting in Yemen as of June 7, with 11,065 wounded.

* Associated Press and Agence France-Presse