News Analysis: Kuwait talks raise hope for peace in war-torn Yemen

Yemeni factions started a new round of UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait on Thursday, raising hope after a year of armed conflict which has led to catastrophic consequences.

The UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the opening that the talks are based on the UNSC resolution 2216 and outcomes of previous talks in Geneva.

The resolution calls on the Houthi group to cede power to the internationally recognized government, disarm and withdraw from cities to establish permanent peace and resume the political process.

Observers argued that chances of peace are now more than ever before after all sides have failed to achieve goals through military escalation.

Fuad Alsalahi, a political sociology professor at Sanaa University, said the Kuwait talks are very crucial for both Yemen and Saudi Arabia amid obvious military and political failures.

"For Yemen, the country has become on the brink of a complete failure. For Saudi Arabia, there are no more options to win through the military action," Alsalahi said.

"Saudi Arabia has failed to contain the situation in Yemen. In other words, Saudi Arabia is playing too big a role. Thus, it is forced, for regional and political reasons, to back the dialog between Yemenis," he said.

Abubakar Abdullah, head of the future media foundation, said the situation now is different for Saudi Arabia which has continued to use its financial and diplomatic influence to affect the peace process. The international community is now seeking an end to the Saudi aggression which only resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe and other serious consequences including expansion of Al-Qaida and Islamic State (IS) group, he said.

"Based on that, I think the Kuwait talks will be productive and lay the groundwork for a solution to the Yemeni crisis and war," he said.

"In addition, the talks agenda this time, according to revelations of the national groups Ansarullah and the General People's Congress, indicate that obstacles that Riyadh used to put before the peace process no longer exist. And that's a sign Yemenis will go ahead to a peaceful solution," added Abdullah.

Meanwhile, some observers said persistent fighting is a sign some factions still lack goodwill for peace.

Ground fighting between the pro-government and Houthi forces have been continuing despite a cease-fire which was brought into effect around a week ago. The Saudi-led air strikes have paused as a guarantee for the talks.

These observers also argued that the Saudi-led coalition and its Western backers are facing mounting pressure over the war in Yemen and, in response, they have no option but to back peaceful options.

The talks are a good way to save face compared to military failures and other accompanying serious consequences, observers said.

Ahmed Al-Jabr, political analyst, said "no one can ignore foreign meddling as the Yemeni factions are obvious proxies for regional powers. Therefore, only understanding and talks between regional players can guarantee a real peace process in the country".

Professor Alsalahi also said that the UN should exercise more pressure on the Yemeni factions to reach a political deal.

"The UN needs to play its role effectively as we all know that if there is not a political solution now, Yemen will sink in a long civil war," he added.

Not only Yemen is going to face a worse civil war in case the current talks fail, but also the country will face further terrorist activities and possible separation issues in the south.

Al-Qaida and the IS have been taking advantage of the conflict and the wide-spread chaos to expand and strike in southern and eastern regions. The IS militants have claimed many deadly blasts while the government are powerless to bring situation under control in regions retaken from the Houthis.

Nabil Albukiri, a researcher, said the two militant groups live on lawlessness. "Continuous Houthi takeover serves the two groups that take advantage of chaos to expand and strike," Albukiri added.

Observers also cautioned that separation calls in the south add to huge challenges facing Yemen. Endit