U.N. to sponsor first Yemeni peace talks since 2016

Officials will gather in Switzerland on Thursday for the first peace talks in the Yemeni civil war since 2016 — but it's unlikely the two warring sides will meet with each other face-to-face, Irish news outlet RTÉ reports.

Diplomats and Yemeni officials have low expectations for the talks, per RTÉ, saying they are apparently "not intended to be talks or negotiations but consultations." More than 10,000 Yemenis have died since the civil war began in 2015 — so many, in fact, that the United Nations has lost count of the number of civilian casualties, Reuters reports.

The U.N. is sponsoring the peace talks. U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths will oversee the discussions between the Saudi-backed government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and Iran-allied Houthi militants; neither of the regional powers backing the two sides will be present at the talks, RTÉ says.

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The Switzerland meeting will mark the fourth attempt at peace since the conflict began, Gulf News reports.