NEW YORK
Rival factions in Yemen will restart political consultations May 28 in Geneva aimed at restoring momentum toward a Yemeni-led democratic transition, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced Wednesday.
"[Ban] urges all the participants to engage in these United Nations consultations in good faith and without pre-conditions", a statement issued from his spokesperson's office said.
Yemen has been in the grip of violence since the takeover of government institutions and parts of the country by Houthi rebels last September, which led to a dramatic escalation of violence and the eventual collapse of UN-backed talks to a reach a political solution in the fractious country.
"Tragically, Yemen has now slid into a conflict that risks spilling across its borders and that is having a dramatic impact on civilians, who are paying the highest price", Ban said.
The crisis prompted a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of Arab states to launch a bombing campaign that began March 25 against the group.
The announcement of the resumption talks comes a week after the UN Security Council asked the UN chief to convene a conference to bring Yemen's rival factions together.
Ban said he hopes "these consultations will help Yemen re-launch the political process, reduce the levels of violence and alleviate the intolerable humanitarian situation".
The UN estimates more than 1,800 people have been killed and at least 540,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since March 19.
