MEMO was in conversation with Hisham Al-Omeisy to discuss the Yemen peace talks currently underway. The Yemeni conflict analyst and consultant is not surprised the Saudis are sitting down for peace talks with the Houthis, but is under no illusions that the talks will resolve the conflict. 

Currently based in Washington DC, Al-Omeisy has worked with the UN and other international bodies in Yemen. Hisham has been working to promote a peace process that is bottom-up and puts ordinary Yemenis first, and has discussed this plan with government officials in the UK and elsewhere. Since the start of the conflict, Hisham has been an outspoken critic of both sides. He was arrested by the Houthis in 2017 and detained for five months.