Pompeo, Oman Foreign Minister Agree On Need To Cease Hostilities In Yemen- State Dept.

US Secretary Michael Pompeo and his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah have agreed in a phone call that hostilities in Yemen have to be brought to an end as soon as possible, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a release on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2018) US Secretary Michael Pompeo and his Omani counterpart Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah have agreed in a phone call that hostilities in Yemen have to be brought to an end as soon as possible, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a release on Friday.

"On Yemen, the Secretary and the Foreign Minister agreed on the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities," Nauert said. "The Secretary and the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the importance of all parties working toward a political agreement to end the conflict and bring peace, prosperity, and security to Yemen."

Yemen has been gripped by a civil war between President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's government and the Shiite Houthi movement since 2015. The government is backed by the Saudi-led coalition that has been carrying out airstrikes that target areas controlled by the Houthis since March 2015.

The conflict escalated this year in the region of Al Hudaydah, Yemen's largest Red Sea port, disrupting humanitarian aid deliveries to the country and putting half of its population at risk of starvation.

In September, the United Nations attempted to hold peace talks between the warring parties in Geneva, however, the negotiations never took place, with the Houthi side claiming that the coalition had prevented them from leaving the country. The coalition said the Houthi delegation were free to leave Yemen, but failed to use the opportunity.

Another attempt to hold the talks might take place soon, as the United Nations said in late October that the organization was awaiting answers from the three sides on whether they would attend peace talks in Sweden within 30 days.