BEIRUT — Yemen's civil war escalated when a Houthi revolt sparked in the capital Sanaa in September 2015 and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia, where he formed a government and requested Saudi-Arab support to regain power as an elected president. On March 26, 2015, within the scope of the Saudi-led coalition, Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes against the Houthis and the Yemeni army.

The United Nations-brokered peace talks in Kuwait between the Houthis and their allies and Hadi's government have remained at a standstill for nearly a month now, due to the intransigence of both sides and their unwillingness to make substantial compromises to reach a political settlement to end the brutal war and humanitarian disaster created by this conflict that started in March 2015.

Reporter and political analyst Ahmed Abdul Rahman, covering the Kuwait peace talks that started on April 21, told Al-Monitor that the parties are disagreeing on the ruling power.

“The delegation of Sanaa that includes Ansar Allah — also known as the Houthis — and the supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh are proposing the formation of a new consensual transitional regime made up of a national unity government and a presidential council, while Hadi's delegation insists on the return of the current government and president as the legitimate authority,” he said.