Houthi delegation from Yemen wraps up China visit

By Zakaria al-Kamaali

SANAA, Yemen

A delegation dispatched by Yemen’s Shia Houthi group wrapped up a visit to Beijing on Thursday after holding talks with Chinese officials, according to the pro-Houthi Al-Masirah television channel.

According to the Sanaa-based broadcaster, the delegation included Houthi officials Mohamed Abdulsalam, Mahdi al-Mashat and Hamza al-Houthi.

During the three-day visit, which reportedly came at Beijing’s invitation, delegation members met with Deng Li, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's department for West Asian and North African Affairs.

The two sides reportedly discussed the military, humanitarian and political aspects of the ongoing conflict in Yemen, along with the prospects for an eventual peace settlement.

Anadolu Agency was unable to obtain immediate comment from Chinese officials regarding the visit and it remains unknown whether Beijing seeks to play a mediating role between Yemen’s warring rivals.

Yemen has been racked by chaos since 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran capital Sanaa and other parts of the country, forcing members of the Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.

Last year, Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and restoring the embattled government.

Two rounds of UN-backed peace talks have failed to resolve the raging conflict, in which thousands of Yemenis have been killed and an estimated 2.5 million forced to flee their homes.