A spark of light in the dark: Yemen's Civil War spies a chance for peace

This week on The New Arab Voice, we examine the recent developments in the war in Yemen. On 19 April, Yemen's new leaders took a ceremonial oath of office under tight security, completing a major shake-up aimed at ending seven years of war with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.Earlier in the month, a UN-brokered ceasefire gave the embattled citizens of the Gulf state a respite from years of intense and deadly fighting.We explore if these two events could pave the way for peace in Yemen. Can the internationally recognised government form a unified military front? Are the Houthis using the pause to regroup and prepare for another offensive? Why do Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to exit the conflict? And, if a peace settlement can be reached, will the desperate population be provided with much needed aid. Featuring interviews with Abdulghani Al-Iryani (@AbdulGhani1959), a senior researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies (@SanaaCenter). Previously he worked with the United Nations in the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen; and Baraa Shiban (@BShtwtr), a MENA caseworker with the human rights group Reprieve, a Yemeni researcher and analyst, and former member of the Yemeni National Dialogue Conference.If you enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to rate and review.  This podcast is produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge). Music by Omar al-Fil (@elepheel). Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.