UN invites Yemeni govt, Houthis to September 6 peace talks

The United Nations has invited the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement that controls most of the country’s northern region to peace talks in Geneva on September 6, a UN spokeswoman announced on Friday. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is trying to negotiate an end to the three-year conflict, which has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed Yemen to the verge of starvation. “I can confirm the office of special envoy has sent invitations to the government of Yemen and to [the Houthi movement] Ansarullah,” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said in Geneva.