Yemen talks: Useful start or doomed to fail?
Warring factions blame each other as talks collapse and the UN warns of a humanitarian catastrophe.
It’s nearly three months now since a Saudi-led alliance began airstrikes in Yemen.
The stated objective was to drive back the advance of Houthi rebels and bring about some sort of dialogue.
And while there have been talks, they have come to nothing, with the latest UN-backed efforts in Geneva collapsing with no sign of any agreement or truce.
The UN believes that some 21 million people, or 80 percent of Yemen’s population, are now in need of humanitarian assistance.
Speaking in New York, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric said: “Aid agencies today called for $1.6 billion to help the most vulnerable 11.7 million people impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Of this total, a funding shortfall of more than 1.4 billion U.S. dollars remains until the end of the year.”
So with dialogue and donations failing, and hopes for a ceasefire slim, who is looking out for Yemen’s civilians?
Presenter: Mike Hanna
Guests:
Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London.
Julien Harneis, Yemen Representative for the UN’s Children’s Agency, UNICEF.
Adam Baron, Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.