By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-09-15

RIYADH -- Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis arrived in Riyadh late Thursday (September 14) on their first publicly announced visit since the start of the Yemen war, raising hopes of progress towards ending the conflict.

An Omani plane carrying a 10-member Houthi delegation and five officials from the sultanate, which has been a mediator in the conflict, delivered the delegation to the Saudi capital for what a Houthi official said would be a five-day visit.

The talks, announced just hours ahead of the delegation's arrival in Riyadh, come five months after Saudi officials held discussions in Sanaa.

Senior Houthi figures took off from Sanaa, which the Iran-backed group seized in a September 2014 coup, prompting the Saudi-led Arab coalition to launch an offensive in support of Yemen's legitimate government the following March.

The ensuing fighting has left hundreds of thousands dead and forced millions from their homes, causing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in a country already pummelled by decades of conflict and upheaval.

Saudi state TV Al Ekhbariya said the talks are aimed at "finding a comprehensive political solution in Yemen."

"The kingdom is hosting a negotiating delegation representing the Yemeni Houthi component, intending to continue the discussions aimed at finding a political solution, a comprehensive ceasefire, and moving from the stage of conflicts to stability," it said.

Yemen's Aden-based government voiced support for the talks and "all initiatives aimed at bringing about a just and comprehensive peace."

"The Yemeni government welcomed the efforts... aimed at pushing the Houthi militias towards seriously responding to calls for peace and alleviating the human suffering of the Yemeni people," it said in a statement.

The official Saudi Press Agency said Riyadh "invited a delegation from Sanaa to visit the kingdom" to complete talks held in Sanaa in April.

A six-month ceasefire brokered by the United Nations (UN) that expired last October is still largely holding, but moves towards peace have been slow since the Saudi delegation left Sanaa without an agreement five months ago.

'Back rooms to the living room'

Oman has played a critical role as a mediator in the conflict, with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on his way back from the G20 summit in India.

"Optimism exists regarding the mediation and the Omani efforts to achieve peace in Yemen," Ali al-Qhoom, a member of the Houthis' political council, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The visit "is like moving the relationship between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia from the back rooms to the living room," said Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies head Majed al-Madhaji.

By organizing talks in Riyadh, both sides are "legitimizing this relationship and giving it an additional impetus."

"On the political level, it is an advanced step to end Saudi Arabia's direct role in Yemen and for the Houthis to acknowledge its role as a mediator," in addition to being one of the parties to the conflict, he added.

Cautious optimism for peace

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a surprise rapprochement, seven years after they broke off ties.

The deal raised hopes about an end to the war in Yemen, though analysts have said it remains to be seen whether Iran will commit itself to this process in a meaningful way.

The Houthis' demands include payment of their civil servants' salaries by the displaced Yemeni government, and the launch of flights to new destinations from Sanaa airport.

In May last year, commercial flights took off from Sanaa airport for the first time in six years as Arab coalition countries reopened their airspace, and this April, nearly 900 detainees were exchanged in a confidence-building prisoner swap.

The warring parties' tentative steps towards peace come as Yemen remains mired in poverty, with 75% of the population in need of humanitarian assistance.

UN agencies and 91 international and Yemeni non-governmental organizations said Thursday that 21.6 million people needed humanitarian assistance, calling for more funding.