CAIRO — More than three months of peace talks to end the war in Yemen came to a halt Saturday, leaving in doubt the future of a shaky cease-fire and threatening to deepen what has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The United Nations’ special envoy on Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, announced the suspension Saturday in Kuwait, where the talks were being held. He said that the negotiations were not a failure and that they would resume in a month at an undisclosed location.
A Western diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as a matter of official policy, told reporters Friday that he was disappointed by the end of the peace talks and expressed concerns about Yemen’s stability.
Ahmed convened the talks after a cease-fire was declared in April between the military coalition, which is led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States, and the Houthi rebels, who the Saudis say are supported by Iran. He said the talks were being suspended in an effort to find a lasting solution.
“We seek a sustainable solution to the conflict,’’ Ahmed said. “We do not want a fragile solution.’’
More than 6,500 people have been killed in the 15-month-long war, and UNICEF said last week that 370,000 children were at risk of starving to death. More than half of Yemenis do not have enough food, aid workers say. While the cease-fire has been marred by regular violations on both sides, it has partly tamped down the fighting in recent months.
“The situation for Yemenis keeps deteriorating, and it is now untenable,’’ said Syma Jamil, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s country director in Yemen. “Yemenis won’t be able to cope for much longer.’’
Underlining the lack of confidence in the peace process, the Houthis and a former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Houthi ally, on Saturday announced the formation of a supreme political council to govern the country.
That arrangement excluded the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who was forced into exile when Houthi forces captured the capital, Sana, last year. But Hadi, whose government is backed by the United Nations, later returned to the southern city of Aden after Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened militarily.
Ahmed is the second UN envoy to try to broker peace talks between the Houthis and other factions in Yemen since full-scale war erupted in March 2015. His predecessor quit after similar peace talk efforts failed.
