(VOVworld) - The United Nations envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed on Sunday announced a new bid for peace talks between the government and opposition groups in Yemen to end a 20-month conflict.

United Nations envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed in a press conference in Sanaa, Yemen on November 7th (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Ismail said the UN is preparing for a new round of talks following his discussion with representatives of Yemen's Houthi groups and their allies on Sunday in Muscat, Oman.

The previous peace talks, held in Kuwait in August, failed when the two sides could not reach an agreement on several key issues. The latest 48-hour ceasefire, brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, ended on November 21^st after the Yemeni government and opposition groups accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

Violence in Yemen has killed some 7,000 people in 20 months. Another 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes.