Thousands have gathered in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa to protest against the Saudi-led military campaign, which began on 26 March 2015.

There have been an estimated 8,000 civilian casualties, nearly 2,800 of whom have lost their lives, as well as 2.4 million displaced people and 21.2 million people in need of humanitarian aid since the campaign begun. The campaign’s main objective was to restore the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi and control the advance of Houthi Shia rebels, believed to be supported by Iran.

The rapid advance of the Houthi rebels from the north of Yemen into the south of the country in early 2015 prompted Al-Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. Al-Hadi returned to Yemen in November 2015, under the context of overseeing the military campaigns against the Houthi fighters in Sanaa.

The first anniversary of the military strikes in Yemen came just over a week before the start of a UN-brokered nationwide cessation of hostilities, which is due to begin at midnight on 10 April. A new round of peace talks between the warring factions is set to begin in Kuwait on 18 April.

“The talks aim to reach a comprehensive agreement, which will end the conflict and allow the resumption of inclusive political dialogue in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and other relevant UN [Security Council] resolutions,” says Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UN Special Envoy to Yemen.

Similar peace talks conducted in July 2015 failed to bring the opposing parties into one room, with hostilities resuming only hours after a humanitarian ceasefire was agreed.

The Saudi-led campaign is supported by 10 Arab countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

The US government also supports the campaign through intelligence sharing, although it does not provide direct military support.

President Barack Obama’s decision to support the war is not without opposition. US Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said his government “has no business getting involved in a war that has only served to empower our terrorist enemies, exacerbate a humanitarian crisis, and incite fear and anger among the Yemeni people toward the US.”

Saudi Arabia shares a 1,800-kilometre border with Yemen, and the kingdom generally views its neighbour’s security as tantamount to its own.