A civil war has been raging on in Yemen — with the Houthi rebels on one side and a coalition led by Saudi Arabia on the other — for the past few years.

As a result, thousands of people have been killed in Yemen, one of the poorest nations on earth, due to fighting and hunger, making it one of the biggest humanitarian crisis the world has ever seen.

The United States recently called for a ceasefire in Yemen and Qatar has wholeheartedly supported the move, reported Gulf Times.

The country said it was a very encouraging step towards a political solution and an end to the suffering of the Yemeni people.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said Qatar would provide full support for any kind of efforts towards national reconciliation and ending the absurd war.

The country said it would only act on the basis of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, the Gulf Initiative and outcomes of the national dialogue, reported The Peninsula.

The statement underlined Qatar’s firm stance in support of Yemen’s unity, independence and territorial integrity. It also called on the international community to come forward and help the Yemeni people.

Qatar also called for efforts to address the grave humanitarian situation unfolding in Yemen right now and ensuring the access of humanitarian aid to all areas of the country, according to Qatar Tribune.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s government said it was ready to re-start peace talks with Houthi rebels.

The Yemeni government said it welcomed ‘all efforts to restore peace’ after the UN called for the warring parties to enter negotiations.

“Yemen is ready to immediately launch talks on the process of confidence-building, primarily the release of all detainees and prisoners, as well as those who’ve been abducted or subject to enforced disappearance,” the government said.

The statement came after a string of comments by key US officials and by the UN’s envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths, who called for warring parties to come to the negotiation table ‘within a month.’

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called for an end to the war, including air strikes, in an implicit acknowledgement that a Saudi-led coalition was involved in the bombing of civilians.

Washington backs the coalition, which is fighting alongside Yemen’s government against the Houthi rebels.

Yemen’s war has been devastating for children, with over 7 million of them suffering from severe malnutrition, according to the UN children’s agency.