Germany urges more efforts for peace in Yemen

By Ayhan Simsek </p> <p>BERLIN – Germany urged the international community on Wednesday to step up efforts to end the war in Yemen. </p> <p>“Yemen will face a humanitarian catastrophe if we do not succeed in ending the war,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at an international conference in Berlin. </p> <p>The conference hosted by the German Foreign Ministry brought together senior officials from 17 countries, including key actors and major donor countries. </p> <p>UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and Resident Coordinator of the UN in Yemen Lise Grande also attended. </p> <p>On Dec. 13, Yemeni peace talks in Sweden concluded with a cease-fire deal in the coastal Al-Hudaydah province.</p> <p>However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province amid accusations of truce violations, and fighting continued in other parts of the country.</p> <p>Impoverished Yemen has remained dogged by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.</p> <p><br>