Yemen peace talks begin in Switzerland

Yemen's warring parties have begun UN-backed peace talks in Switzerland, as a seven-day ceasefire came into effect. The UN says the talks between the government, the Houthi rebel movement and its allies aimed to find a durable settlement to the months-long crisis. About 6,000 people, almost half of them civilians, have been killed since a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against the rebels in March. The



coalition is seeking to drive back the Houthis and restore the government.

Representatives of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, the Houthis and the General People's Congress party of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, whose loyalists in the security forces have backed the rebels, are meeting near the town of Biel. The Saudi-led coalition is not involved in the talks, which are expected to last all week.